By Udeme Akpan
Pan-African explorer Oranto Petroleum is farming into two exploration blocks located onshore Zambia. Blocks 17 and 27 represent Oranto’s first investment in the country.

”Oranto Petroleum is committed to an aggressive work program to increase the level of prospectivity in one of the world’s last true frontier markets,” said Prince Aurthe Eze, Chairman of Oranto Petroleum.

“Our specialty at Oranto Petroleum is discovering the vast potential of Africa’s frontier oil and gas markets, and we are very pleased to add Zambia to our extensive portfolio. We are committed to developing Zambia into an oil and gas producing nation, as we have many times with other countries on the continent.

”Oranto Petroleum and its sister company Atlas Petroleum International comprise the largest African independent by acreage, with active exploration and production programs across the continent including Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan and Uganda.Under the agreement, signed today, Oranto Petroleum will hold a 90 percent stake and ZCCM Investment Holdings will control a 10 percent share, on behalf of the Zambian Government.

The company will be required to conduct geological and geophysical studies for first two 2-year sub-periods.Current operators in Zambia include Tullow Oil and Bowleven. Though only marginal finds have been discovered, the under-explored market shares basins with Tanzania to the northeast and Angola to the west — both of which have hosted mega oil and gas discoveries.Atlas Petroleum International and Oranto Petroleum represent Africa’s largest privately-held, Africa-focused exploration and production group.

Our extensive footprint across the African continent includes 22 oil and gas licenses in 11 jurisdictions, including producing assets in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea and numerous Atlas/Oranto-operated blocks.Operating as sister companies in the West Africa region since 1991, Atlas and Oranto now operate throughout Africa, with regional offices and representatives in all our core investment locations.Addax celebrates Nigerian Content achievements, graduates 11 trainees Addax Petroleum rolled out the drums on Friday in Lagos to celebrate the feats it had recorded in the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.

This year’s edition of the Nigerian Content awareness day was titled “Building Nigerian Content: Our Collective Assignment”.It also featured the graduation of two geosciences interns and nine trainees under the Addax/Rumoulf HCDT programme.Delivering the opening remarks at the event, Acting Managing Director, Addax Petroleum, Mr. Yonghong Chen affirmed the company’s commitment to promoting Nigerian Content in its operations and ensuring compliance with the provisions of the NOGICD Act.He said, “I know we are doing well with Nigerian Content; we have not earned any infraction from the Board and to us this is one thing we are proud of.

We have institutionalized Nigerian Content and taken it to the next level by producing NC nuggets that will be displayed on all the desks to serve as reminders to staff.” He appreciated the support of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), particularly in granting timely approvals of documents that concern operations and asked that such efforts be intensified.The General Manager, Projects Certification and Authorization Division (PCAD), NCDMB, Engr. Paul Zuhumben represented the Executive Secretary, Engr Simbi Wabote at the event and commended Addax’s tenacity at organizing the Nigerian Content awareness day annually.

He said the programme affords Addax the opportunity to showcase positive strides it had made, celebrate achievements, plan towards future opportunities and make the best of the NOGICD Act 2010 to further grow local content.Zuhumben informed that the Board has commenced the implementation of the Nigerian Content 10-year strategic road map which was developed with the intent of deepening Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry.He stated that a key target of the road map is to increase Nigerian Content from the current level of 28 percent to 70 percent by 2027.He underscored the need for Addax to give Nigerian Content its deserved attention by ensuring that it is driven by top management. “I implore Addax to structure the NC Department just like HSE or QA/QC.

This will give support to the Federal Government’s Executive Order 005 on local content and also strengthen the NC implementation.”The General Manager also congratulated the trainees for successfully completing their programme and pledged that the Board would continue to encourage genuine efforts aimed at developing young talents to become global brands.The Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Mr. Roland Ewubare, represented by the General Manager, Production Sharing Contract (PSC), Mr. Jock James reiterated NAPIMS obligation to ensure that Nigerians are given first consideration before any contract is awarded.A representative of the trainees, Mr. Alex Rekede thanked Addax Petroleum and the NCDMB for the opportunity given to them and requested for employment opportunities in the oil and gas industry so they could showcase the knowledge they acquired.