Energy firm affirms commitment to inclusive growth, local capacity devt

Asharami Energy, a Sahara Group upstream company, has said it will continue to spearhead the quest for driving inclusive growth and local content development across Nigeria’s energy landscape through investments, responsible operations, and collaboration with stakeholders in the upstream value chain.

Speaking at the 5th edition of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF), Leste Aihevba, Chief Technical Officer, Asharami Energy, said the sector would need to shore up local capacity development and participation to effectively contribute to Nigeria’s energy security.

Aihevba said that while current trends in the industry show increasing involvement of local expertise, a development he described as “imperative for stability, innovation, seamless operations, and sustainable production to foster economic development in Nigeria. It is worthy to highlight that Asharami Energy already has close to 100% local content participation, with all but a few of the most complex technologies delivered by local service providers.

“Services covering subsurface reviews and studies, field development plans, well interventions, drilling, civil as well as oil and gas infrastructure projects, like flowlines, pipelines, flowstations, roads and location constructions are all provided by local companies.”

He noted that Asharami Energy’s collaboration model and capacity-building interventions drive the company’s commitment to making a difference responsibly in the sector. “Our message at NOGOF 2025 is simple. Asharami Energy is not just developing assets; we’re developing people, communities, and promoting shared prosperity. We believe that the true measure of our success is not just in the number of barrels we produce, but in the impact and the value we create. Asharami Energy has a track record of both building local content capacity with Nigerian Service Providers and working harmoniously with all stakeholders in the local communities in which we operate”, he said.

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Differentiating between local content at the national scale and local community participation in shared prosperity, Aihevba highlighted the company’s gas-to-power intervention in the Ajoki community in Edo State, which has been enjoying uninterrupted power supply, promoting clean energy and environmental sustainability for the community, and the vocational training programmes it runs in partnership with the University of Benin Consultancy Services, which delivers skills training in various areas to up to 20 community youths annually.

Asharami Energy is also providing roads in host communities to promote access to markets and opportunities and organises health and educational interventions to boost quality of life.

Themed “Driving Investment and Production Growth: Shaping a Sustainable Future for Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry Through Indigenous Capacity Development,” NOGOF 2025 was held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, featuring high-level conversations and exhibitions geared towards putting the spotlight on growing local capacity in alignment with Nigeria’s energy transition goals.

Held biennially, NOGOF is a premier industry platform organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to showcase investment opportunities across Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, with participation from key players across the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors.

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