SMEs Invest $1Bn in Oil Equipment-Nwapa

Ernest Nwapa, executive secretary, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has said that small entrepreneurs in the country have invested over $1 billion in the manufacturing and assemblage of various equipments in the oil and gas sector.

Nwapa said the small industries invested in drill bits, pumps, wellheads and christmas trees, cables, and valves manufacturing among others.

He said before the intervention of the board, the country has no shipyards, but now has one.

"On ship building, one major shipyard is established which has already commenced shipbuilding, adding that this is to ensure that Nigerian content counts in crude lifting tenders.

He said the board is currently collaborating with the Naval dockyard and other facilities on enhanced shipbuilding capabilities.

On the pipeline projects, Nwapa said Shell is collaborating with WSP to establish a 200,000 tonnes of seamless pipe mill in Port Harcourt. Addax is collaborating with Yulong to establish 250,000 tons of integrated line pipe mill in Bayelsa state. Kaztec has commenced plans to establish 200,000 tons of LSAW pipe mill in Lagos and Vigeo is in collaboration with Mittal to establish a line pipe mill in Sagamu.