Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, is set to build capacity among women of the region in Liquified Petroleum Gas, LPG, commonly called cooking gas, value chain.
Managing Director Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku who made this known while hosting Decade of Gas Initiative team at NDDC Headquarters in Port Harcourt Rivers State, noted that the commission has already taken a bold step into gas Programe by training five hundred youths of the region in Compressed Natural Gas, CNG Auto Gas conversion this year.
The Managing Director expressed optimism that training women in cooking gas Programme of the Federal Government would empower them financially to cater for their families.
“We are not only working towards cleaner energy, we are also using it as a means of empowerment to empower our youths and women.
For us, anything that has to do with empowerment is part of our mandate, which is intervention.
Our intervention is not only limited to infrastructural development, it also includes human capital development ”
He promised that NDDC was ready to partner the group to bring to reality the Decade of Gas Programme.
In his presentation, Coordinating Director, Decade of Gas Initiative, Ed Ubong explained that the Decade of Gas Initiative was targeting distribution of one million gas cylinders every year to meet the plan of five million by twenty- thirty.
Mr. Ubong who observed that the prosperity of Nigeria depends on gas, maintained that gas production has improved significantly, generating more revenue to the country.
“For us at the Decade of Gas, we believe that the Role NDDC plays is so critical and we want NDDC to partner us; in the partnership, we want NDDC to decide how best we can work together.”
“In my village, when I was there in January, I discovered that the solar light in my village comes up around seven in the evening and it was done by NDDC”.
The coordinating Director added that they have concluded arrangements to launch free gas cylinders distribution soon, starting from Bayalsa State and would continue till targets were met.
He observed that there was need to increase capacity in gas production to increase revenue generation and job opportunities.
They solicited partnership with NDDC, saying that World Bank and other donors were also part of programme.
