Edith CHUKU
Marconi.NG EPC Limited has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to resist pressures to roll back the progress that had been achieved in local content implementation in the last 15 years.
The company stated this on Wednesday when officials of the Corporate Communications Division of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) led select journalists on a tour of some Port Harcourt-based oil and gas companies.
While underscoring the benefits of local content to the economy, Marconi appealed to the government and oil industry stakeholders to be steadfast with the implementation of the NOGICD Act, insisting that it is well positioned to support national goals, while contributing significantly to job creation and economic growth.
Inline with the federal government’s efforts to attract new oil and gas investments, spur speedy development of fields and ensure reduction in the cost of production, Marconi is positioning itself as one the leading oil and gas service companies in West Africa.
The company, which is a wholly Nigerian entity and acquired the assets of Saipem Contracting Nigeria’s Rumuolumeni Yard in May 2025, has pledged cost competitive and speedy delivery of projects and opportunities.
Speaking during the tour, the Chief Executive Officer of Marconi, Mr. Gian Fabio Del Cioppo explained that the company’s yard covers more than 1,000,000 square meters, includes a 330-meter jetty, and has the capacity to fabricate over 25,000 tons of heavy structures per year.
He noted that the facility is one of the leading yard in the country with assets and organisational capability to execute fabrication and other services for complex capital EPC projects, both onshore and offshore.
Del Cioppo emphasised that the company possesses the equipment, technical capacity, legacy and human capabilities to deliver the highest quality of work in the industry at competitive costs and schedule, aligned with the Presidential Directives on Local Content and the provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010.
Conducting the journalists round the facility, Nigerian Content Manager of Marconi, Dr. David Editang, explained that the new owners retained the services of local experts who operated the facility for decades prior to the acquisition of the facility. According to him, the facility has the capacity to fabricate, store and load out completed project structures through three of its jetties.
Editang revealed that “recently, Marconi, marked the First Steel Cutting Ceremony for some subsea structures for one of the major offshore projects currently being executed in Nigeria.
“The facility also played a significant role in the execution and construction of several notable projects in the past including Egina, Usan, Akpo, Train 7, among many others.”
Also speaking, the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division (CCD) of the NCDMB, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, who led other NCDMB personnel and a host of journalists on the facility tour, noted that Marconi was now well positioned to operate across the oil and gas value chain, from land, swamp and shallow waters to deep sea offshore.
Giving reasons for the tour, Ezeobi said, “As we showcase the companies, we are achieving our mandate as set out in Sections 67 and 70 (n) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
“These Sections mandate the NCDMB to promote Nigerian Content through communication and stakeholder engagement and also outlines the Board’s functions which include capacity building.”
He explained that media practitioners were critical stakeholders in the implementation of the NOGICD Act. “We want the media to better understand how the oil and gas industry works; we want to deepen our relationship, and to build the capacity of media stakeholders in reportage.”
Ezeobi also noted that the NCDMB had established sustainable relationships with media stakeholders in different parts of the Country, and organises annual engagements in Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja.
