Oando Energy Resources, the upstream subsidiary of Oando PLC, reinforced its commitment to development and collaborative engagement at the first Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) Executive Roundtable, held on July 16,2025, at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos.
First Fiduciary Limited and AO2LAW, in partnership with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), organised the event, which convened key stakeholders across the oil and gas value chain to evaluate the implementation of the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) initiative four years after the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Themed “4 Years After the PIA – Rethinking the Experience + Restating the Future”, the roundtable provided a platform to assess compliance realities, discuss challenges and share learnings aimed at enhancing the impact of HCDTs across Nigeria’s host communities.
Representing Oando on the panel was Dr. Gbenga Ogunnusi, Manager, Community Investment & Sustainability Relations, who joined fellow speakers including Engr. Olatokunbo Karimu, Assistant Director & Head of the Host Community Development Branch, NUPRC; and Abimbola Atitebi, Group General Counsel, Nestoil Group; to explore the theme “Stakeholder Collaboration and Community Empowerment.” The session delved into the role of operators in improving community trust, enhancing local capacity, and addressing the structural challenges that have slowed HCDT implementation.
Emphasisingthe need for sustainability in the conceptualisation and delivery of community projects,Dr. Ogunnusi remarked, “A project is only sustainable if it is self-sustaining. That means it can outlast the initial funding, sustain itself independently, and deliver long-term value. In other words, host communities should continue to benefit from the project well into the future and not just for themselves, but for generations to come.”
Oando’s participation at the roundtables underscores the company’s long-standing philosophy of partnership-driven development and its alignment with Nigeria’s broader goals of sustainable, community-focused energy reforms under the PIA framework.
