The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) on Friday said host communities in the Niger Delta are being supported by to provide services to the oil and gas industry

SPDC announced the development at the panel sessions of the 13 th Practical Nigerian Content Forum organised by Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Yenagoa.

The energy firm said the gesture is part of a strategy to develop Nigerian content.

SPDC operates a Joint Venture with Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, TotalEnergies and Nigerian Agip Oil Company.

Olanrewaju Olawuyi, SPDC’s General Manager, Nigerian Content, told oil and gas stakeholders that the company has signed Community Content plans on specific services and supplies to be provided by communities in the Niger Delta in its operations.

According to him, such plans have been signed with Bonny and EA, with a third expected to be finalised next year.

Olawuyi spoke at a panel session on “Nigerian Content from the grass roots: Community capacity Development” at the 13thAnnual Practical Nigerian Content forum in Yenagoa,

“The Community Content plans set out in clear terms the services communities can offer and our role in supporting them. It is a mutually rewarding relationship.

“SPDC, which pioneered Nigeria’s oil and gas industry has taken deliberate efforts to develop Nigerian Content in its operations for the past 60 years and decided to pay particular attention to communities by giving them opportunities to develop their processes to industry standards.

“We’re not just giving opportunities to supply boats and other basic things; no, we are moving beyond that.

“We are talking about how communities can provide services, which capability we are going to build together in this relationship. So, we can tell that we are committed to building community capabilities and we see that there is a great future; where they continue to be partners in progress.

“It means communities can grow to supply goods and services not just to SPDC but other international oil companies,” Olawuyi said.

Olawuyi who also moderated the panel sessions said human capital development was a key aspect of SPDC’s Nigerian Content development strategy,

He listed the scholarship awards and the NCDMB/Shell/PETAN as well as SAP internships as the platforms the energy firm uses to implement its policies on Nigerian content.

Olawuyi said: “All these are transformational. The testimonies of the individuals will touch and melt any heart; how their lives have been touched and how their fortunes have changed.”

The panel session ended with discussants stressing the need to involve professionals, youths and community stakeholders early in the implementation of projects to ensure they deliver the desired goals for companies and host communities.