David Ige, the NNPC Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, made this known during the 4th International Conference and Exhibition on Free Trade Zone on Tuesday in Lagos.
The conference was organised by the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority.
Mr. Ige, represented by Sam Ndukwe, the General Manager, Pipeline, said the aim of the project was to create the largest gas industrial park in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He said that steady progress had been made in delivering the critical pipelines infrastructure.
“This will address many of the gas deliverability challenges in the country,” Mr. Ige said.
Adamu Kontagora, Head, Marketing Department, Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone, Onne Port, said the investment had created over 30,000 direct or indirect jobs.
Mr. Kontagora said it had also created transfer of technology to Nigerians, through manpower training due to the specialised nature of its operations.
He said that the presence of the free zones had increased economic activities in the area, adding that Onne Port was the second highest port in Nigeria after Apapa.
Mr. Kontagora said there had also been an increase in the government revenue earning, particularly for customs, ports authority and Federal Inland Revenue Service as a result of free trade zones.
He said that the zones had placed Nigeria as a leading player in the oil and gas activities in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
Also, Odusola Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer, Century 21 System Communication, said the conference was to create a system and process to activate the knowledge networks among the zones.
The theme of the conference is tagged: “The Springboard to Sustainable Economic Transformation of Nigeria”
Premium Times