Nigeria began construction on a new oil and gas industrial park in the Bayelsa State, and could launch new oil and gas industrial parks outside of the Niger Delta, as well, according to The Guardian.
“We will work with the Board and provide everything that is needed for the projects. After the development of the five pilot parks in the Niger Delta states, we will extend this very innovative idea to other parts of Nigeria where oil has either been found or is being explored,” said the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, during the groundbreaking of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park, according to the newspaper.
The Nigerian Oil and Gas Park in Emeyal I in the Bayelsa State was developed by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board with a stated goal of providing direct employment for about 2,000 Nigerians and boosting local content in the region. The park is the second of its kind in the country. The park will include 25 hectares of warehousing, manufacturing, training centers, etc.
Manufacturing is a key need within Nigeria’s local content sector, with a lack of manufacturing capacity often driving up the cost of projects and hindering local content development.