By Adedapo Adesanya
Organisers of the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) have fixed March 28 for the commencement of the 2021 edition of the programme.
The five-day yearly event with the theme From Crisis to Opportunities: New Approaches to the Future of Hydrocarbons will take place at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.
It will witness the participation of several foreign bodies and industry associations like the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO); International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC); and the Nigerian National Committee of the World Energy Council (NNC-WEC).
Other groups expected to attend the event include the Commonwealth Business Women CBWN; Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE); Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS); Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG); Energy Institute; National Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE); Nigerian Gas Association (NGA); Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN); Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN); and Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN).
NIPS will provide the opportunity for the nation to outline how local companies can lend a hand in the advancement of the country’s petroleum industry as it works to boost its output.
The summit is a programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria under the supervision of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The third edition was held earlier in February this year and featured a spotlight session on the Nigeria LNG Train-7 project, which reached the final investment decision on the major gas expansion deal that is set to boost the plant’s production capacity to 30 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).
The 2020 instalment of the NIPS conference was anchored by the theme Widening the Integration Circle: Technology, Knowledge, Sustainability and Partnership and presented strategies and opportunities for growth in oil, gas and energy technologies as well as showcased major contract signings.
Speakers included former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Nigeria, Mr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu; Mr Omar Farouk Ibrahim, OPEC Governor for Nigeria; Mr Sun Xiansheng, Secretary-General, International Energy Forum; Jean-Marc Thystère Tchicaya, Minister of Hydrocarbons, Republic of the Congo; and Mr Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons Republic of Equatorial Guinea.
Dipo Olowookere