General News
Proserv Appoints Phillips Head of Nigerian Operations
Proserv, international energy technology Services Company has reinforced its expanding global reach by appointing Olu Phillips country manager for Nigeria, one of West Africa’s fast-emerging provinces.
Phillips takes up the post in Nigeria where Proserv has experienced rapid growth in demand for its integrated services and specialist technology.
Phillips, who has extensive experience in the African and international marketplace, will be responsible for overseeing the company’s operations in the region.
He said: “The market in Nigeria is very dynamic and the oil & gas opportunities are immense. An ambitious company like Proserv is well placed to capitalise upon these opportunities and I am very excited about the prospects of building upon the company’s presence in the region where it already has an operational base in Port Harcourt with plans to open a second office in Lagos.”
Phillips was previously chief financial officer (CFO) for oil & gas services company, MRS, with responsibility for a wide geographic remit spanning from Nigeria, Senegal and Guinea to the Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Togo.
Having initially joined MRS in 2009 as finance director for Nigeria, Phillips was made CFO in 2010 and held this position for three years. Prior to this, he worked for Vetco Gray as financial controller for Nigeria.
Brian Kinsey, Proserv Region president, Europe & West Africa, said: “Olu brings considerable experience of Nigeria’s marketplace to Proserv. Through his knowledge of the industry and network of connections in the region, we look forward to Olu playing a pivotal role in helping the team at Proserv to further realise its vision for strategic growth in Nigeria. The company has already been operating in Nigeria for a number of years during which we have worked on a diverse range of projects within the subsea arena including Shell’s Bonga development and Addax Petroleum’s Erha project.”
The appointment of a country manager for Nigeria follows recent success in West Africa for Proserv. During May, the company announced it had won a multi-million dollar contract in Angola to design and manufacture a subsea sampling system for BP’s PSVM field development. Operating at a depth of 2,000 metres, the system is believed to be the deepest offshore project in Africa.
Phillips, who was born in the UK to Nigerian parents, studied for ACCA (Association of Certified Chartered Accountants) in London before studying for an MBA at Edinburgh Business School. He worked in the UK for more than 10 years across a number of different industries including an international newspaper company and a global cement producer before moving to Nigeria in 2003. Olu, who is now a fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered of Accountants, lives with his family in Lagos.
He said: “Through my financial background, I am able to recognise market trends and emerging business opportunities. I look forward to utilizing this knowledge at Proserv and through working to expand its activity in Nigeria, helping to reinforce the company’s fast-evolving global footprint.”
Proserv, which is headquartered in Aberdeenshire, UK, is a global-leading energy production technology services company with a 35-year track record in delivering bespoke technologies and services for the energy industry, particularly in the drilling, production, subsea and decommissioning market sectors. The company operates worldwide across several regions and currently employs more than 1,900 people globally.
The firm’s market activity spans a diverse range of the oil & gas industry while its high-profile portfolio of clients includes major international operators; national oil companies, leading services companies and small independents.
Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo has commended the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for expanding access to technology-driven skills with the inauguration of a Skills Acquisition Centre in Owerri.
L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi; First Lady of Imo State, Barr. Chioma Uzodimma; Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma; EVC/CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu and other dignitaries during the commissioning of the NASENI Skills Acquisition Centre in Owerri North LGA, Imo State yesterday.
The governor described the initiative as a strategic investment in youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and economic development.
The centre, established under the NASENI Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP) in partnership with the Senator representing Imo East Senatorial District, Sen. Ezenwa Onyewuchi, is designed to equip young Nigerians with practical and industry-relevant skills.
Speaking at the inauguration, Uzodimma said technology remained central to Nigeria’s economic growth and lauded NASENI for supporting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda through initiatives that empower citizens.
He said the project would provide young people with practical skills needed to build sustainable livelihoods.
“This is not about giving people fish; it is about teaching them how to fish,” the governor said.
Uzodimma urged that beneficiaries of the programme be supported with start-up capital to enable them establish businesses and create employment opportunities for others.
He also commended NASENI for its continued developmental interventions in Imo and called on the host community and relevant stakeholders to protect the facility.
Responding, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr Khalil Suleiman Halilu, described the centre as another demonstration of the agency’s commitment to developing the human capital required to drive Nigeria’s industrialisation.
According to Halilu, the centre reflects NASENI’s conviction that industrial development begins with investing in people and equipping them with practical skills.
“The commissioning of this centre is not merely the opening of another facility. It is the opening of opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire practical skills that solve real problems, create businesses and generate employment.
“At NASENI, we believe our greatest investment is in the talent of our people,” he said.
Halilu said the centre would offer training in high-demand areas, including solar installation and maintenance, graphic design and printing, phone repair, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as other vocational and technology-based disciplines.
He explained that the project aligned with NASENI’s strategic focus on creation, collaboration and commercialisation, aimed at strengthening innovation, expanding local capacity and reducing dependence on imported technologies.
The NASENI boss commended Onyewuchi for partnering with the agency to deliver the project.
Onyewuchi said the centre was established to address youth unemployment through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.
He disclosed that beneficiaries would receive support to establish small businesses after completing their training, enabling them to become employers of labour.
The lawmaker said the initiative would contribute to economic growth by empowering young Nigerians with skills relevant to today’s economy.
The commissioning of the centre, according to NASENI, reinforces the agency’s commitment to equipping Nigerians with practical skills, fostering innovation and building the workforce required for Nigeria’s industrial and economic development.
Federal government has launched Credit for Laptops, Internet, Connectivity and Knowledge Digital Devices (C.L.I.C.K.D.), a new consumer credit initiative, to provide affordable financing for locally assembled laptops and other digital devices.
L-R: Mr Uzoma Nwagba, managing director and chief executive officer, CREDICORP, and Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, at the launch
The initiative by the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is aimed at equipping Nigerians with the tools needed to participate in the country’s growing digital economy.
During the launch, Dr Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, described access to credit as critical to improving productivity and driving economic growth.
Dr Tijani said no nation could achieve sustainable development without a strong credit system that enables individuals and businesses to access resources needed to become more productive.
He noted that in today’s digital age, technology has become indispensable for education, innovation and wealth creation.
The minister explained that many talented young Nigerians possess the skills required to succeed in the digital economy but remain constrained by their inability to own computers and other digital tools.
Drawing from his personal experience, Dr Tijani recalled how his first laptop as a student in the university opened doors to international opportunities and eventually inspired him to establish one of Nigeria’s pioneering technology hubs.
He said the new programme would ensure that more young Nigerians are not denied similar opportunities because of financial barriers.
According to him, the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of building a one-trillion-dollar economy by expanding access to technology, boosting productivity and supporting local manufacturing.
Mr Uzoma Nwagba, managing director and chief executive officer, CREDICORP, described the programme as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future workforce and digital transformation.
Mr Nwagba said that while improvements in internet connectivity and digital skills training have positioned Nigeria for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, access to devices remains a major challenge preventing many young people from fully participating in the digital economy.
He explained that C.L.I.C.K.D. would bridge that gap by providing affordable consumer credit that enables beneficiaries to acquire laptops and other internet-enabled devices while they develop in-demand digital skills
Federal Government has announced the disbursement of about N333 billion to eight electricity generation companies (GenCos) as part of measures to resolve outstanding debts in the power sector.
The government also disclosed the issuance of a second bond valued at N729 billion to settle verified legacy obligations and improve liquidity within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The disclosures were made on Tuesday at an investors’ forum organised by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc in Abuja.
Government representatives said the latest bond issuance marked the completion of the initial phase of the Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme, which was designed to address verified liabilities and attract private sector investment across the electricity value chain.
The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Mrs Olu Verheijen, said the implementation of the first series of the programme demonstrated the administration’s commitment to meeting its financial obligations and improving investor confidence.
Verheijen disclosed that the Federal Government in February 2026 allocated about N501 billion under the first tranche of the programme, comprising N300 billion in cash and N201 billion in non-cash bond instruments to offset verified debts owed to power producers.
She said N333 billion had so far been disbursed to eight participating GenCos operating 17 power plants.
According to her, the government also paid the first coupon of about N63.5 billion on the seven-year bond in full on July 14, 2026.
She explained that the payments had enabled generation companies to meet critical obligations to gas suppliers, lenders and operations and maintenance contractors, thereby improving their operational capacity.
“Markets do not reward promises; they reward performance. Capital follows credibility,” Verheijen said.
She added that the second bond series would further strengthen liquidity in the electricity market and create a more stable financial environment capable of attracting long-term private investment.
The Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme is part of broader Federal Government efforts to address challenges affecting electricity generation, distribution and investment in Nigeria’s power sector.
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