Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited (EPNL), operator of the NNPC/EPNL Joint Venture, has signed its first Development Partnership Agreement with the Egi Oil & Gas Producing Families/Communities of Ogba  Egbema Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA), Rivers State.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) followed five days of negotiations between company representatives and the communities.

EPNL's Deputy Managing Director (Technical), Mr. Roger Poirier led the company's delegation on behalf of the Managing Director, Mr. Jacques Marraud des Grottes, to the historic event which took place on Thursday, November 1, 2007 at the Sasun Hotel, Port Harcourt.

The paramount ruler of Egi, the Eze Egi, His Majesty Dr Kingdom Elenwa led other chiefs, opinion and youths leaders of the communities to the signing ceremony.

The MoU was signed on behalf of EPNL by Mr Poirier; the Executive General Manager, Joint Venture (Onshore) Asset, Mr. Fabrice Arnaud and the General Manager, (Sustainable Development), Mr. Vincent Nnadi with Mr. Dornu Kogam as witness.

Christian Ahiakwo, Roland Ajie, Christopher Dimkpa and Okorie Koye Braid signed for the Oil & Gas Families/Communities.

The successful signing of the MoU is a demonstration of EPNL's policy to dialogue with its host communities and produce a mutually-beneficial development document, Mr. Poirer  said. 

He observed that the new MoU was unique because apart from stretching the implementation period from the usual three years to four, it also incorporated "a mutually-beneficial 'no-shut-down' clause which is a very progressive move on the part of both negotiating partners."  

The new MoU is also the first development partnership agreement to be signed by a special committee comprising community representatives, EPNL, NAPIMS and the ONELGA.

To ensure speedy implementation of the agreement, an Implementation, Monitoring & Evaluation Committee has been set up which is charged with avoiding the delays experienced in the past.

"The setting up of the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee to manage the development items of this Agreement is indeed the starting point of our desire to see the communities manage their development affairs for sustainability and ownership," Mr. Poirer said.