By Clara Nwachukwu
Part of the focus for the upcoming 3rd Regional Deepwater Offshore West Africa Conference and Exhibitions, DAWOC, is to explore business challenges and developments in the region’s deepwater, with a view to attracting more investments in the area.

The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, NAPE, in a media chat in Lagos, on activities lined up for event scheduled to hold between November 14 and 18, in Abuja, said shared experiences in the different countries in the region would boost further development in the region’s oil and gas industry.

The President of NAPE, Mr Isaac Arowolo, said, “We are looking at operations in the deepwater of the West African region, including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Angola, Gabon and the rest of the countries in the region. We are looking at the challenges in exploration and developments in the deepwater across the entire West Africa, the Gulf of Guinea and even beyond.”

He stated that shared experiences will help operators know what studies have been done, which technology to apply, integrate findings and discover missing links.

According to him, “New discoveries are opening up new opportunities because explorationists don’t give up on findings, they continue to apply new skills with new tools and integrate them with what they already have. Oil and gas exploration is a continuous process with the aim of replacing reserves.

“We are looking at the new fields (oil and gas) that have been discovered in the recent times, what are the plays and the role of technology in improving successes and reducing operating costs.”

Also contributing, the Chairman, NAPE University Committee, Mr Afe Mayowa, noted that technology in increasingly playing a huge role in fields’ discovery in the deepwater, as “the era of easy oil in gone.”

Mayowa explained that each country will tell its story with a view to making the international community understand not only the potential in the respective countries, but also the impact of reforms and policy issues on the future of the industry.

Also clarifying, Arowolo said that the DOWAC is not taking the place of the Annual NAPE Conference and Exhibition, as this is being integrated into the regional conference.

According to him, “NAPE will continue to have its annual conference and exhibition, but it is Nigeria’s turn to host DOWAC, and that is why the two are being combined.”

He explained that at least 1,000 guests are expected at the 5_day conference, which is being co_hosted with the American association of Petroleum Geologists, AAPG, with special highlights on technical presentations and exhibitions, management, and interactive sessions as well as short courses.

The theme of the conference is tagged, “West Africa Deepwater: Successes, Challenges and Future Prospects,” in which over 200 papers were received of which about 120 have been approved.

He said the Federal Government; the Ministry of Petroleum Resources; the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC; the International Oil Companies, IOCs operating in the country; and member countries in the region are in full support of the conference as well the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, whose Secretary General, Abdallah El_Badri, is expected as a special guest.

With regard to security at the conference against the backdrop of recent bombings in Abuja, Arowolo said that the Federal Government has given assurance on maximum security at the conference, adding that NAPE, through its Security Committee, has also made additional internal security arrangements for participants to the conference.