The Welding Federation has expressed satisfaction and support for the recent expression of interest by Oilserv to handle the $25 billion gas pipeline project from Nigeria to Morocco.
The proposed project which is 5,600-kilometre gas pipeline when operational is expected to boost economies in Africa by opening up a reliable market for its gas to Europe.
In a round table session with stakeholders on the 31st of October 2022, which focused on next frontier for local content, going beyond building capacity to sustaining a culture of productivity, Oilserves declared in boldly its interest to handle the project.
According to a statement signed by TWF Executive Director Ayo Adeniyi, the action of Oilserve is line with TWF flagship project on creating, celebrating and providing adequate technical support towards evolvement of big players across Africa that will be referred to as Continental Manufacturing Champions (CMC).
TWF CMC project aims to ensure that there will always be a pool of companies across Africa to whom Africa and Africans can reliably defer to provide solutions to the most complex manufacturing projects whenever the arise.
Nigeria to Morocco gas project is one such project which it will involve a number of complexities.
TWF is at the moment rigorously promoting the need and working with major players in countries across Africa to develop capacity towards achieving ISO 3834 management system certification as attestation of their commitment to the culture of quality and productivity.
Additionally, TWF also engages these companies on both current and future paths mapping by working out a research portfolio that hopes to birth innovative concepts in materials science and engineering to keep growing African content, thereby developing cheaper industry solutions for companies as they create and sustain creation of jobs for Africans.
According to Ayo, the biggest hurdle at the moment on the CMC project, is the management culture challenge for companies in Africa. Without proper corporate culture adoption, Africa will always be found wanting when compared with jubilee or century-old experienced companies.
He said It is important to understand that this CMC status might not necessarily be built in isolation, but as well in collaboration with sister companies both within and beyond any country of origin, and the collaboration sustained beyond single projects. This is where culture becomes a huge factor.
TWF is Africa’s body of associations, TVETs and organizations in welding and related technologies across Africa incorporated in South Africa. Membership of The Federation currently cuts across
Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Uganda, Libya, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Namibia, Cameroon, Kenya with other applications in waiting.
He stated that the African content development and deployment is real and has come to stay. Energy security might remain a huge joke unless adequate capacity is developed in manufacturing to complement Africa’s energy security target and job creation.
