Dipo Olowookere
By Ebitonye Akpodigha
The Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC/ENI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Zenith Bank.
The agreement between the two companies was completed on Wednesday in Bayelsa State during a two day Business Leadership Workshop organised by the oil giant for Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs).
Business Post correspondent at the event reports that the MoU is for Zenith Bank to provide credit facilities to companies in the oil and gas sector doing business with it.
At the programme, Agip said it has trained over 730 vendors under its capacity development initiatives programme as part of efforts to build the capacity of SMEs in the oil and gas sector across the Niger Delta States.
According to Vice Chairman/Managing Director of Agip, Engr. Massimo Insula, this move is geared toward entrenching small and medium scale businesses for community content and sustainability.
“You will recalled that in the past, as part of Capacity Development Initiatives, we have concentrated on Vendors Development Program with 360 vendors trained so far, Vendors Awareness and Sensitization Engagement, with 250 trained so far as well as Exhibition, Gap closure and opportunities engagements, where 120 vendors participated.
“Starting from 2016, we are diversifying into other areas of capacity development. Specifically, we are focused on developing and building capacities in the areas of small and medium businesses and community content which include business development, succession planning workshop and indigenous technology forum,” Mr Insula, who was represented at the event by Mr Albert Ijuiwe, the Manager, Nigeria Content Coordination District, said at the occasion.
He added that, “As a responsible corporate citizens, ENI has continued to ensure strict compliance with the provision of the NOGICD act by issuing internal guidelines that makes its mandatory that all departments involved in contracting processes must liaise with Nigerian Content Division in order to cross check full adherence to the provision of the act.
The Chairman of the Bayelsa State Chambers of Commerce and industry, Jonathan Omu, in his key note address, said the current economic situation rather than dampen us, Nigerians should use the opportunity to rejuvenate, rekindle and transform themselves and the system to archive success especially the vast opportunities in the agricultural sector.”
