By Emma Amaize

ASABA—THE Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC, yesterday, in Asaba, Delta State, kicked off a two-day succession planning workshop to develop and build the capacities of small and medium-scale businesses in Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa and Imo states in South-South and South-East regions.

The workshop was flagged off by Delta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Tam Brisibe, who commended NAOC for the initiatives.

He said: “The workshop will equip owners, partners, proprietors and management of small/medium-sized enterprises, SMEs with skills and best practices in planning for the continuity and sustainability of their businesses when the owner exits by way of incapacitation, or retirement or old age.”

He asserted that the new mission by the company started in September, with a successful business leadership workshop in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where 90 contractors were trained.

Addressing participants at the second 2016 workshop of Eni Nigeria Content Activities, Managing Director of the company, Massimo Insulla, said the programme was also aimed at improving community content in terms of business development and technology, as defined by the Nigerian Local Content Development Act.

The NAOC chief executive disclosed that in years past, the company concentrated on vendors’ development programme, upgrade, awareness and sensitization engagement, vendors’ exhibition, gap closure and opportunities engagement, training 730 vendors so far.

“On November 3, we will be in Owerri, Imo State, to commence another two-day Indigenous Technology Forum,” he added.

He spoke of a few other initiatives of Eni in the area of promoting Nigerian Content Development   and corporate social responsibility, adding: “Apart from pioneering Joint Venture Independent Power Project, IPP, in Nigeria with the construction of a power plant in Okpai and delivery of 480MW of power into the national grid to stimulate the economy and create jobs.”
He said: “We are leaders in the area of access to energy, water, health, education, social infrastructure (roads, markets, community centres, etc), employment abd human capacity building, skills acquisition, micro credits and access to foof through our agricultural programme (Green River project, which started in 1987). We are proud to note that our footprints are quite visible in all our host communities in the states we operate, including Delta.”