Oil & Gas
By Anthony Isibor.
SIMBI Wabote, executive secretary, Nigeria Content Development Monitoring Board, NCDMB, has announced that the 2021 Research and Development Fair and Conference will hold on September 9, 2021 at the corporate headquarters of the NCDMB in Yenogoa, Bayelsa State.
Wabote told a news conference in Lagos on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 that the fair would facilitate and promote home-grown technology and innovation through nurturing of local research and development as well as Research and Development, R&D, capabilities.
He explained that the biannual event was last held in 2017 due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted operations of governments and companies.
“In the light of the pivotal role of Research and Innovation in the development of indigenous technology, NCDMB has placed high premium on R&D oversight as a critical enabler in achieving the Board’s aspiration of 70 percent local content by 2027.
“The Board has concluded plans to host the 2nd edition of the NCDMB Research and Development Fair and Conference with the theme: Creating Sustainable Collaboration in Research and ‘Development for the Energy Sector’ through hybrid participation in compliance with COVID-19 protocols and it promises to feature presentation of research breakthroughs, panel discussion on R&D pillars of success and a special feature on how Nigeria can adopt a sustainable acceleration programme for launching innovative ideas into the market.
“Section 67 of the NOGICD Act 2010, mandates the Board to conduct workshops, conferences, seminars, symposia and other public fora to enhance the implementation of the provisions of the NOGICD Act 2010,” he said.
Wabote explained that although the world has been transiting from one energy source to another in search of cleaner energy, the world has been able to utilize its energy sources due to developments in research and development.
According to him, the world is now talking about green energy and will continue to transit in the search of cleaner energy, which has been made possible through world research and development, it is pertinent for Nigeria to invest as a country in research and development so that it can utilize its energy resources.
“To be honest with you, no country develops without focusing on research and development. We believe that NCDMB must become a catalyst that will drive thinking and focus in that direction.
“We are, therefore, hosting the second edition of the NCDMB R&D Fair on September 9, 2021 in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State to bring together industry stakeholders, academia and researchers towards achieving a common agenda on R&D as a pillar for sustainable local content,” he said.
Wabote disclosed that $50 million R&D Fund has been earmarked as a grant which can be accessed by any Nigerian at home or abroad and that the fund is to help developers and inventors from research through commercialization.
“The process of obtaining funding for research is simple. It is not a loan but a grant. To be able to access the grant, there are certain ground rules that you must go through. We have technology committee that would review your proposal. We have a research and development council which I chair in conjunction with other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry, especially those genuinely involved in research and development. So, if you go through the screening of those two layers, you are entitled to a fund. The idea behind it all, is to improve research and development in local content, especially research to commercialisation, and we want to be with you from your research stage to commercialisation,” Wabote said.
“We are not an organisation set up to share money to people. We must follow through end-to-end strategically, to achieve the desired goal. The idea behind this is to invest in a particular product line, and put such product into the market. The fund for research and development currently stands at $50 million,” he explained, adding that the amount is not limited to an applicant, but limited the problem you want to solve.
“I encourage interested members of the public and Nigerians in the Diaspora to log on to the link – http://ncdmb.gov.ng/rdfair2021/ to register and attend the important conference. I look forward to seeing you all, he added.
Speaking on some of the achievement recorded from the last edition of the fair in 2017, Wabote said: “The establishment of Nigerian Content Research and Development Council with a mandate to advise the Board on matters relating to research and development in the oil and gas industry; development of R&D 10-year Strategic Road Map, which will be launched during the 2021 R&D Fair.
“Development of frameworks for supporting research breakthroughs to products for industry application, of which 20 Researchers are benefiting from the Board’s intervention.
“The inauguration of Technical Advisory Board on Nigerian content Research and Development Fund.
“Signing of the MoU to establish R&D Centers of Excellence in five universities across the country – Federal Universities of Technology in Minna, Akure and Owerri, Niger Delta University Amasoma and Modibbo Adama University of Technology Yola, is also part of its considerations, among others.”
The executive secretary also announced that the cerebral panelists lined up for the technical session to discuss ‘Legal Framework, Governance and Enforcement as R&D Success Pillars’, include vice-chancellors of technical universities, director generals, as well as representatives drawn from Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, PETAN.
The panelists are: Prof. Abdullahi Bola, Vice-Chancellor, of Federal University of Technology, Minna; Dan Azumi Mohammed Ibrahim, Director-General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, NOTAP; Prof. Nnnena Oti, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Akintunde Adelana, Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, NCDMB; Ranti Omole, member – PETAN.
The NCDMB was established in April 2010 with the mandate to develop the capacity of the local supply chain for effective and efficient service delivery in the oil and gas industry, promote value addition in Nigeria and the utilization of Nigerian made goods, services and manpower in the oil and gas activities as well as facilitate home grown technology and innovation through the nurturing of local research and development R&D capabilities.
– Sept. 01, 2021 @ 15:03 GMT |
A.I
Tags: Development fair Nigeria Content Development Monitoring Board Research Simbi Wabote
