Dear Members,
With the settling-down period after the inauguration of the 2023-2024 Council now over, it is with great pleasure that I present this address.
I am pleased to note that the Nigeria Gas Association (‘NGA’) has been at the forefront of promoting the development of the gas industry in Nigeria, and I commend all your efforts and continuous support of the NGA in this regard. Your contributions have been invaluable and as I said during my inauguration speech, the NGA Council is committed to continue delivering a strong value proposition to every member. This will be done by strengthening our advocacy role, helping to shape industry policies that work for all stakeholders, building stronger ties with relevant international and regional gas associations as well as supporting the efficient delivery of the ‘Decade of Gas’ agenda, to ensure Nigeria’s long-term energy sufficiency.
As you are no doubt aware, the global transition towards cleaner and more sustainable sources of energy, the recent transition in government in Nigeria, and the removal of petroleum subsidies have occasioned uncertainties for many in our industry. However, these same uncertainties present an opportunity for gas to step up and play a more significant and pivotal role in Nigeria’s energy mix. In the light of current local and international policy realities, there will be a greater demand for affordable and sustainable energy sources, and the NGA is well positioned to be a strong part of the conversation and policy direction to make this happen.
As members of the NGA, we have a crucial role to play in ensuring that the industry takes full advantage of this opportunity. Indeed, there is no better time to be a member of the NGA than now. We must continue to work together to promote the benefits of natural gas, championing the development of the right policies that incentivise and support the growth of our industry and help the Government promote gas utilization as a catalyst for national development.
Recently, the NGA 2022-2024 Council had its first strategy meeting which focused on reviewing the strategic path of the Association to ensure that it is properly positioned to deliver and support the Nigerian gas agenda, and to meet the expectations of its members. We discussed and sharpened the Association’s vision and mission statements, strategized on how to grow the membership base across the gas value chain, and deep-dived the Association’s programme for the next two years, which in a nutshell, will see more industry-focused events and advocacy in line with the topical issues of the industry. We also looked at how we can create and demonstrate more value for the different categories of members by improving communication, articulating the many value propositions of the NGA, as well as rolling out new initiatives with the clear focus on driving diversity and inclusiveness in our industry.
We also reviewed the cardinal values of the NGA which are: Being the Industry resource centre of choice; Encouraging best practices and acceptable standards; Promoting investment in the Nigerian gas sector; Anticipating and driving legislation and policies, and in our effort to enhance these values, we added a fifth cardinal value – ‘Capacity Building’.
Capacity building is essential for the growth and development of our industry and therefore this must be a key pillar and value proposition. We recognise that our members and the industry need access to training and development opportunities to stay competitive and meet the challenges of the ever-changing business landscape and the NGA through its Learning Solution is set up to meet this critical industry need.
In addition to Capacity Building, we are also committed to ensuring we deliver in a sustainable manner a members-only content portal, which will be continuously reviewed to ensure that it is and remains value adding and fit for purpose at all times. Some of the ideas and initiatives to be rolled out include:
For our corporate members:
Tiered memberships with different benefits (which will be subject to ratification at the next AGM);
Enhanced capacity building initiatives with organisational specific bespoke programmes;
Enhanced advocacy with Government at all levels, and other relevant stakeholders on key issues affecting our members and seeking timely resolution; and
Introduction of Business Promotion Forums and Fairs collaborating with key stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
For our Associate members:
Enhanced online ecosystem with an improved membership portal to increase and maximise online transactional activities between the association and members;
Expanding the learning solutions and courses to cover new and emerging subjects such as energy transition, ESG, Green Financing etc. to improve individual professional development;
Enhanced scope of the study groups and simplified process of membership participation; and
Improved members-only content for personal research and development.
For our Student members:
Career fairs at NGA conferences;
Subsidized fee for all NGA Learning Solutions trainings;
Industry internship scheme collaborating with our large membership base; and
Improved membership content for personal development.
Communication is an area many of our members have identified as requiring improvement and to strengthen this, we plan to enhance interface and engagement within the Association. To this end, we are excited to announce that we will be launching a series of new communication initiatives in the coming weeks and months that will help bring us closer together as a community and provide greater value to our members. Some of these initiatives include:
Regular monthly newsletters to keep members up to date with NGA and industry events, and
Revamping our social media presence and rolling out a more robust website and membership portal for effective online interaction between members and the association.
It is my belief that the NGA Study Group is the think-tank of the Association and one area where the NGA can demonstrate relevance and create sustainable value not just to members, but to the entire gas industry value chain. To ensure that NGA will continue to be visible in playing the role that the industry expects from us, the Council has approved the creation of two new Study Groups to cover ‘Energy Transition’ and ‘Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI)’. We call on members to show interest and to contact the secretariat to join any of the Study Groups of their choice.
We are closely monitoring the events in the political space and commend some of the bold policy decisions taken by the Federal Government. We will continue to support the policies of government at all levels that work for the gas industry and our members, as well as foster national growth and development. NGA will in this space, strengthen its collaboration with other sister organisations across the oil and gas industry so that we collectively assist government at all levels to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and compete.
Finally, as you are all aware, the NGA is coordinating the Decade of Gas programme launched by the Federal Government with industry support which is aimed at accelerating development across the gas value chain by unlocking Nigeria’s gas reserves over a ten-year period. The role recognises the importance of the Association as the umbrella body for the gas industry and it is an assignment we intend to ensure fully succeeds. I am therefore pleased to inform you that the all-new Decade of Gas Secretariat will be commissioned this month, and it will further enhance the role the NGA is playing in helping the nation move from energy poverty to security and prosperity.
Once again, I thank you for your commitment to the NGA. The Council looks forward to working with all members to achieve our shared goals with your active participation as well as helping to build a stronger and more vibrant gas industry for the future.
•Akachukwu Nwokedi
President, Nigerian Gas Association
