The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board and, the Brazilian National Oil Company, Petrobras, have begun a collaboration and exchange programme towards boosting local content development and employment generation in the Nigerian oil and gas Industry.

The two agencies signed off on the cooperation during a recent benchmarking visit by senior officials of the industry led by the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Ernest Nwapa to Petrobras office in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The partnership follows the success of the Petrobras led PROMINP program initiated in 2003 in response to the Brazilian Government’s desire to increase the participation of Brazilians in the oil and gas value chain.

PROMINP recorded significant progress in all facets of the country’s oil and gas industry, such that local content in Brazil grew from 57 per cent in 2003 to 74 per cent in 2010.

Speaking at opening session of the visit, the Executive Secretary explained that the Board will benchmark its procedures and programmes with the Brazilian Local Content Development Model.