Date Published: 05/25/09

Nigeria, France partner to create jobs in Niger Delta

NIGERIA and France are currently working together through private enterprise in th environment of the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone in Rivers State, to create more direct job opportunities, transfer of technology, and capacity building in the Niger Delta.

To this end, France's oil major, Total, the third largest oil producer in Nigeria, is aiming to assume the second largest position by 2010/2012, with a daily production of 500/600,000 barrels of oil.

The oil company's facility within the Onne Port Complex, and the oil and gas free zone, is a purpose built complex consisting of over 130,000 square metres of industrial stacking area, 17,000 square metres of warehousing, which includes a specialised 6,000 square metres chemical shed, 1,400 square metres of offices and 300 metres of dedicated quay space.

Already, the West Atlantic Shipyard (WAS) Limited has generated over 200 direct jobs in the oil and gas free zone.

The company that was visited at the weekend by the French Prime Minister, Francois Filton, claimed that it was fully applying the ''local content'' policy of Nigeria through a permanent training programme which allows Nigerian welders, fitters, pipers, electricians, mchanics among others to match with international technical naval standards.

WAS which was facilitated by Integrated Logistic Services (INTELS), a major oil servicing company, is, however, a Nigerian company incorporated in 2004 by France's Chantiers Piriou for building and repairing of vessels operated by international and local shipowners in the Niger Delta.

It was gathered that the creation of the company was based on the introduction in 2003 of the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act voted to promote the ''Nigerian content'' to be borne by the development of the oiland gas sector.

Promoters of the shipyard say they have so far invested $30million in the project in a bid tobuild a modern shipyard for building and repairing any type of aluminium and steel boats up to 100 metres.

The shipyard occupies a massive 60,000 square metres of space which includes263 metres of private dedicated jetty. It also has a 7,000 onnes capacity dry dock, which was acquired at a cost of $8.5milion.

Our correspondent reports that the oil and gas free zone was established on March 29, 1996. It consists of two main port terminals--- the Federal Lighter Terminal (FLT), and the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT), around which an industrial complex and an integrated transit/supply base has developed to serve the needs of Nigeria's off-shore oil and gas industry.