NCDMB’s 8th Annual Essay Competition Kicks Off, Invites Young Minds To Shape Nigeria’s Oil & Gas Future

From Mgbo Nnachi, Yenagoa

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has officially launched its eighth annual National Undergraduate Essay Competition, paving the way for another year of intellectual engagement and knowledge-building among Nigeria’s most promising young minds.

This year’s competition, titled “Nigerian Content and Opportunities in African Local Content Advancement,” aims to foster deep reflection on the critical role of local content development in propelling Nigeria’s oil and gas sector forward while also fostering a sense of collaboration and shared progress across the African continent.

The competition, open to first and second-year students at Nigerian universities and polytechnics, provides a unique opportunity for undergraduates to learn about the complexities of local content policies and how they can help Nigeria’s economy grow.

This is not merely an academic exercise. The NCDMB designed the competition to encourage real-world application of knowledge.

Participants are encouraged to consider how Nigerian content initiatives can benefit the larger African market, fostering a sense of regional responsibility and collaboration.

The competition offers substantial rewards. The top three winners will receive cash prizes of N1,000,000, N700,000, and N500,000, respectively, while all ten finalists will be given laptop computers, demonstrating the NCDMB’s dedication to supporting students’ academic endeavours.

“This competition is more than just an academic exercise,” stated Mr. Eyinimi Omorozi, CEO of Mahogany 21 Century Concepts Limited, the project consultant for the essay competition.

“It is an opportunity to develop the next generation of industry leaders and contribute to the expansion of our country’s oil and gas sector.”

Students are invited to submit original essays of no more than 1,500 words via the competition’s dedicated website, www.ncdmbessay.ng. The deadline for submissions is October 14, 2024, after which shortlisted candidates will be evaluated prior to the final awards ceremony in November.

The NCDMB hopes to cultivate a generation of future leaders capable of driving Nigeria’s oil and gas industry into a brighter, more sustainable future by encouraging young minds to engage with critical issues surrounding local content development.