Operators in the petroleum sector, have called for more regional collaboration across Africa, right policies and implementation, in a bid to strengthen the energy sector.
Speaking at the on-going 10th Anniversary edition of the Sub-Saharan African International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC 2026), in Lagos, theme, “Africa’s Local Content Collaboration Strategy.”
Speaking in a panel session, Chairman, Oilserv Group, Engr. Emeka Okwuosa, said, “On the government side, to talk about regional collaboration, we need free movement. I understand that the Chairman will be visiting the AU meeting. I think one of the points that should be raised with the leaders of AU is to make the business free, so that we can allow a free movement and collaboration.
“Also, we need policies. We have policies that are already in place in Nigeria. Let’s try to standardize it across the African nations so that we can ease collaboration in those areas.
“One of the initiatives coming out, stemming from the PIA, the Domestic Decade of Gas, which is very clear and very executable, and Oilserv is playing a significant role in delivering the projects for the Decade of Gas. That’s on the government side.”
Okwuosa added that “Before now, Oilserv is saddled with the responsibility to execute complex projects and pipeline infrastructure. Just to, for the benefit of those who are not aware of these complex projects that we have as a company executed. We have executed one of the largest gas treatment plants within the OB3 project.
“The OB3 project is a 124-kilometer gas pipeline, 48 inches, the largest in Nigeria. Plus, the gas treatment plant has the capacity to process two liters of gas per day. And that facility is currently under the scope of gas as we speak today.
“We have also been involved in the AKK, which is ongoing, another significant complex project that is 40 inches by 304 kilometers per second, one that we are responsible for. And the design has been completed; the construction of the pipeline has been completed as of December.
“We have been involved in constructing and building gas pipelines to independent power plants, six of them individually, including the geometric power plant that was commissioned last year by the Vice President and is currently promoting industrialization in the country. Within Lagos, we have built and constructed and installed cumulatively 200 kilometers of gas pipelines.”
On other development, Okwuosa added that the place for capacity development aswell as community relations cannot be overemphasized.
Noting that “We have leveraged on capacity development. We have also leveraged on training and partnership. For the OB3 that I mentioned, when we installed or constructed that, one of the main processes of the pipeline construction is welding. We use the manual welding system to install that.
“And we are able to achieve that with the partnership of the OB3 and provide training to our people. We have also leveraged on the communities, collaborating with the communities to ensure that we empower and get them involved aswell as educating them in our processes and our projects.
“That, in turn, has given some useful environment to execute and not affect the project execution. In technology and innovation, we have also deployed technologies like the Horizontal Directional Drilling, HDD. And first of all, it is because they have been trainers in this industry, making sure that the human resources get the right training modules, the right skills that are relevant to this industry.”
On the operators, he called for more projects been allotted to indigenous operators, adding that “What we need from you is to give us more jobs. Get your FID on time and reduce the contract cycle from one year or three years to as soon as possible within six months.”
He lauded Total Energy, NLNG, Renaissance for their continued support to grow indigenous EPC companies.