NNPC Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sonatrach to strengthen collaboration in research, development, and innovation across Africa’s oil and gas sector.
The agreement, facilitated through NNPC’s Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) Division in partnership with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, establishes a formal framework for joint research initiatives and technology exchange between the two national oil companies.
The MoU was signed in Abuja by Sophia Mbakwe, Executive Vice President, Business Services at NNPC Limited, and Khodjah Mohamed, Managing Director of Sonatrach, during the opening ceremony of the 3rd Meeting of the African Petroleum Producers Organization Forum for R&D Directors. The event, held at the PTDF Tower, brought together research and development leaders from APPO member countries to explore collaborative solutions to industry challenges.
Speaking at the forum, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, represented by former APPO Secretary General Omar Farouk Ibrahim, highlighted the strategic importance of research and innovation in addressing the continent’s energy transition challenges. He noted that APPO has introduced key initiatives—including the R&D forum, the African Energy Bank, and the Central African Pipeline System—to tackle issues around funding, technology, and market integration.
ALSO READ: KENYA INTENSIFIES RESTORATION OF CHERANGANY HILLS UNDER CHERISH PROGRAMME
In his remarks, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, represented by Chief Financial Officer Adedapo Segun, emphasized that research and development must be central to Africa’s oil and gas strategy. He urged member countries to view R&D centres as engines of industrial competitiveness, warning that while innovation may be costly, the cost of technological obsolescence would be far greater.
Ojulari further called for a unified strategic framework across African petroleum-producing nations to enable resource pooling, data integration, and risk-sharing. He also advocated for the accelerated adoption of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and advanced engineering solutions, to enhance efficiency across upstream, midstream, and downstream operations.
Also addressing participants, APPO Secretary General Farid Ghezali stressed the need for research efforts to deliver practical, Africa-focused solutions that directly address the continent’s energy realities. Similarly, Executive Secretary of the PTDF, Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, underscored the significance of the NNPC–PTDF partnership in advancing decarbonisation and environmental sustainability initiatives across member states.
Looking ahead, Rasheed Ojulari, Chief Innovation Officer at NNPC’s RTI Division and incoming Chairman of the APPO R&D Directors Forum, disclosed that the forum will prioritise joint programmes in key areas such as upstream optimisation, artificial intelligence, decarbonisation processes, and industrial systems development.
