The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has launched its LearnFest Lecture Series, a platform for continuous learning among staff and oil and gas industry stakeholders. This initiative is under the Nigerian Content Academy (NCA), a specialised knowledge-sharing and training arm of the agency. The LearnFest Lecture Series aims to provide trainings on the mandate and inner workings of the Board. The event was attended by all staff at the corporate headquarters in Yenagoa.
The LearnFest Lecture Series was informed by the need to create an understanding of Nigerian Content tools and processes among staff and other oil and gas industry stakeholders. According to Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, Director, Capacity Building Directorate, industry players need to understand and interpret the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, operational principles, and other related guidelines. The Lecture Series will make their work easier, he added.
The NCA is building a faculty, and the Lecture Series is a way of preparing the grounds for its take-off. Engr. Bamidele disclosed that industry operators and service companies, industry associations, academic institutions, and ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), have expressed interest in sending their staff for the specialised training provided by the Academy. The Management of the Board has approved the use of the Board’s purpose-built facility in Opolo as a centre for the NCA training programmes.
In the first presentation under the Lecture Series, Engr. Mofe Megbele, Manager, Planning and Policy Development Department, spoke on the theme “Understanding the Activities and Processes of the Planning, Research and Statistics Directorate.” He explained that the Directorate comprised two major Divisions, namely, Planning and Policy Development (PPD) and Research and Statistics Development Division. PPD was established in September 2018 under Section 70 of the NOGICD Act.
The LearnFest Lecture Series will hold monthly for the next nine months, with a specific Directorate featured in each edition. According to Obinna Ezeobi, Corporate Communications Division, NCDMB, attendance, online and in-person, is mandatory for all staff of the NCDMB, while other oil and gas industry stakeholders could participate in subsequent editions. This will help staff understand how everything fits together and the big picture with respect to the mandate of the Board.
The Academy explained that NCDMB’s knowledge is spread across seven directorates, each with its own mandate, processes, expertise, responsibilities, and way of creating value. Knowledge becomes more powerful when it does not exist in silos but moves from one department to the other with handshakes of different units. This will help staff collaborate better, support one another better, and work as one integrated ecosystem.
The NCDMB’s LearnFest Lecture Series is a significant step towards enhancing the capacity of its staff to effectively lead and regulate the oil and gas industry. With the support of industry stakeholders, the Academy aims to provide specialised training and create a faculty to drive the growth of the industry. The series will also provide a platform for continuous learning and improvement.
Key points
- The NCDMB launches LearnFest Lecture Series to enhance staff capacity and regulate the oil and gas industry.
- The Lecture Series will hold monthly for the next nine months, featuring a specific Directorate in each edition.
- The NCA is building a faculty and has received interest from industry stakeholders for its specialised training programmes.
