NNPC Limited, through its Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI) Division, in partnership with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sonatrach, Algeria’s National Oil Company, to strengthen cooperation in research, development, and innovation.
The agreement, signed by NNPC Ltd’s Executive Vice President, Business Services, Sophia Mbakwe, and Sonatrach’s Managing Director, Khodjah Mohamed, establishes a formal framework for collaboration in research and technology exchange between the two national oil companies.
The signing took place during the opening ceremony of the 3rd African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) Forum for R&D Directors, held at the PTDF Tower in Abuja, Nigeria. The event brought together research and development leaders from APPO member countries.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri represented by former APPO Secretary General, Omar Farouk Ibrahim highlighted that the forum is one of four initiatives introduced by APPO to tackle challenges posed by the global energy transition, focusing on funding, technology, and markets.
“The R&D forum addresses technology and expertise needs, the African Energy Bank tackles funding constraints, and the Central African Pipeline System supports regional oil and gas market integration,” Lokpobiri explained.
Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Engr. 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.
“Collaboration in research and development is of strategic importance. The cost of innovation may be high, but the cost of obsolescence is far greater,” Ojulari noted.
He called for a unified strategic framework to pool resources, integrate data, and share risks across member countries, while urging rapid adoption of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and advanced engineering to enhance upstream, midstream, and downstream operations.
APPO Secretary General, Farid Ghezali, urged African petroleum producers to ensure that research delivers practical solutions tailored to the continent’s needs.
Executive Secretary of PTDF, Prof. Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, underscored the value of the NNPC–PTDF partnership in advancing decarbonisation and environmental protection across APPO member states.
Meanwhile, Rasheed Ojulari, Chief Innovation Officer of NNPC RTI and incoming Chairman of the APPO R&D Directors Forum, announced that the forum will prioritize joint programmes in upstream optimisation, artificial intelligence, decarbonisation processes, and industrial systems development.
