CSR-in-Action hosts "3rd Sustainability in the Extractive Industries" Conference

Bekeme Masade is the Executive Director of CSR-in-Action

Plans are in top gear for a successful hosting of the third Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) conference at the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos with endorsements and confirmation of attendance by keynote speakers, industry captains and heads of relevant government agencies, ministries and parastatals.

Top on the list of endorsements and confirmed attendants is the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Ernest Nwapa, whose agency - which regulates local content participation and polices in Nigeria - has offered its full support and endorsement for the conference.

Others include Raymond Wilcox, General Manager, Nigerian Content Development; Lara Banjoko, Chief Executive Officer, Zone 4 Energy; Niyi Yusuf, Managing Director, Accenture Nigeria; Christine K, Director, Heinrich Boell Foundation Nigeria; Jeffrey Corey, COO, Seven Energy; Fidel Pepple, Immediate Past General Manager, NAPIMS; Taofiq Tijani, Hon. Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Lagos State; Owanari Duke, Country Director, Empretech Foundation; Innocent Lagi, Attorney General, Nasarawa State, among other dignitaries from relevant government parastatals, community advocators and companies in the mining and oil and gas sectors.

The theme for the SITEI conference, which is the third in the series, is "Local Content Participation, Accountability and Transparency." The highly anticipated event will address the challenges of local entrepreneurs, job seekers, policies and critical issues surrounding the implementation of quality local content participation in the Extractive Industries and proffer practical solutions towards improving entrance, accountability and transparency in the sector. The conference holds on Friday, October 24, 2014.

The theme of this year's event is a natural sequel to the successful 2nd SITEI conference, which had as keynote speaker, the former World Bank Vice President for Africa Region, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili. The second edition discussed the need for more transparency in the sector and produced a convergence of important opinions and contributions on the topic from different stakeholders cutting across private sectors, government representatives and community leaders.

The SITEI event this year is, therefore, expected to address nagging issues that have threatened to stagnate the local content drive like quality of local content players - vendors, contractors and business men - to play more active and dominant roles in the extractive industries. The conference will feature workshop sessions with stimulating topics for discussion, with a potpourri of sustainable solutions expected to be provided to enforce the message and spirit of the conference, which is geared toward greater local content participation in the extractive industries.

To drive youth participation in entrepreneurship, skills development and in the activities within the Extractive Industries, CSR-in-Action brings a new twist to this year's SITEI Conference with the introduction of an Essay and Logo Design competition. This competition with the theme "Quality Local Content Participation in the Extractive Industries: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions" is an opportunity for interested members of the public who have a burning desire to see increased local content in the extractive industries to provide a precise overview of the sector and proffer lasting panacea for all stakeholders. To participate and for more details visit http://csrinaction.org

To address any health fears with regard to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) currently ravaging some West Africa countries, Executive Director, Bekeme Masade assures conference participants that appropriate measures have been taken to ensure simple and necessary health practices are adhered to at the event to guarantee a hitch-free conference following a partnership with PathCare Nigeria.

The "3rd Sustainability in the Extractive Industries" Conference is expected to provide a strategic approach to resolve some of the key issues in the industries through stimulating debates, and garnering of opinions of a wide spectrum of stakeholders.