By Seun Ibiyemi
Nigeria’s national oil company, NNPC Limited, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Algeria’s Sonatrach to strengthen research, development, and innovation in the oil and gas sector.
The agreement, signed through NNPC’s Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) Division in collaboration with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), is aimed at fostering cooperation and technology exchange between the two national oil companies.
The MoU was executed by NNPC’s Executive Vice President, Business Services, Sophia Mbakwe, and Sonatrach’s Managing Director, Khodjah Mohamed, establishing a formal framework for joint research initiatives.
The signing took place during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Meeting of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) Forum for Research and Development Directors held at the PTDF Tower in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, noted that the R&D forum is part of broader efforts by APPO to tackle challenges arising from the global energy transition, particularly in the areas of funding, technology, and market access.
Representing the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, Adedapo Segun, emphasized the strategic importance of research and development in driving industrial competitiveness within Africa’s oil and gas industry.
He stressed that while innovation may be costly, the consequences of failing to innovate would be far greater, urging stronger collaboration among African countries to pool resources, integrate data, and share risks.
Also speaking, the Secretary General of APPO, Farid Ghezali, called for research efforts that deliver practical and relevant solutions tailored to Africa’s needs.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of PTDF, Prof. Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, highlighted the importance of the partnership in advancing decarbonisation and environmental sustainability initiatives across member countries.
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Meanwhile, Chief Innovation Officer of NNPC RTI and incoming Chairman of the APPO R&D Directors Forum, Rasheed Ojulari, disclosed that priority areas for collaboration would include upstream optimisation, artificial intelligence, decarbonisation processes, and industrial systems development.
The partnership is expected to enhance Africa’s capacity for technological advancement in the oil and gas sector and position the continent to better navigate the evolving global energy landscape.
