Effective Collaboration with Government Stakeholders: Key to Successful Delivery of Bonga Northwest (BNW) Project

摘要

The Bonga North West Project (BNW) is the first subsea extension to the existing Bonga Main facilitylocated offshore Nigeria in water depths ranging from 990m – 1170m. The license is operated under aproduction sharing agreement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by ShellNigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) in partnership with Esso E&P NigeriaLtd, Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and Total E&P Nigeria. The execution of the BNW Projectinvolved extensive interaction with diverse Stakeholders. Stakeholders are key enablers and critical tosuccessful project delivery. BNW stakeholders included Venture Partners, Contractors, Government andnon-governmental organizations. The Government Stakeholders have regulatory oversight on the project.The dynamics of project execution and its multi-dimensional challenges sometimes result in situations thatput requirement for Government Stakeholder’s endorsement on the critical path for the project. The BNWProject Team and Government Stakeholders addressed these challenges in a collaborative manner.Collaboration with Government Stakeholders enabled the Project Team to mitigate potential issues andcapture opportunities that helped deliver the project within schedule, on cost, and with no cost recoveryexposure after investment decision. All regulatory permits and consents of the Government were obtainedper schedule.Stakeholders have different drivers. The Stakeholder collaboration model enabled the BNW Project toidentify these drivers early, leading to proactive resolution of potential issues and to capture opportunities.It encouraged a culture of openness and collaboration between the Project and the Stakeholders.Conscious and deliberate actions were taken to maintain the relationships and collaborative culture.Meaningful integration and involvement of the Stakeholders in the execution of the project was crucial forthe establishment and effectiveness a desired collaborative environment. The “integrate and involve”component of the model included regular reporting to inform and update, frequent face to face engagements,and periodic site visit by Stakeholders at specific stages of work progress. In addition, integrationof some of the Government Stakeholders staff into the project, at various stages, provided them with theopportunity for better understanding and appreciation of the project dynamics and drivers.The BNW project has been recognized by the National Petroleum Investment Management Services(NAPIMS), a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) - Government Concessionaire,as one of the best offshore projects to be executed in Nigeria.This paper focuses on the pathway and model that were applied to develop and sustain a collaborativerelationship with Government Stakeholders, thereby reducing non-technical risks and achieving thesuccessful accomplishment of all project delivery promises.