The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, SPDC, has announced that it invested the sum of $5.2 million in scholarships in Nigeria in 2017.
The company also disclosed that over 120 secondary school students have been trained in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM, as a means of solving the challenges confronting the nation with global impact.
Speaking in Port Harcourt at the Shell Nigeria Nxplorers Exhibition 2018, a programme designed to train young Nigerian scientists on problem-solving, Shell’s General Manager, External Relations, Mr Igo Weli, expressed optimism that skills acquired by the students would go a long way in repositioning science and technology research in the country.
Weli explained that the benefiting students have been working on projects that are aimed at providing solutions to challenges faced in the Niger Delta region and in the country in general.
According to him, “Shell Companies in Nigeria have a long history of supporting education as we believe this is a bridge to a prosperous future. We are continuing to work with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, our co-venture partner and many stakeholders within the Nigerian education sector to position the country for a brighter future.
“In 2017, $5.2 million was invested in scholarships by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited operated Joint Ventures and SNEPCo.
“Young people have the capacity to create positive movements for change. They can learn how to address the complex challenges faced by the world.
“Over the last eight months, we have had the opportunity to equip over 120 young Nigerian students and their teachers across 12 schools in Lagos and Rivers State with science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and complex problem-solving skills by leveraging a wide spectrum of opportunities to solve local challenges with global impact.”
Represented by the Manager, Social Performance Sub-Sahara Africa, Mr Emmanuel Anyi, Weli explained that Nxplorers was a global initiative that is aimed at training the younger generations on finding solutions to the many problems facing the world, such as energy, food and water challenges.
“Nxplorers is a global Shell education initiative focused on STEM education. This programme is designed to equip young people with a diverse range of tools and problem-solving skills to address the complex challenges affecting the food-water-energy nexus and its linkages.
“Increasingly, as the world population grows, there is a global challenge to food, water and energy which are tightly interlinked. Water is necessary for food production just as it is instrumental in the food supply and value chain.
“Energy, on the other hand, is required to produce and distribute water and food; and for processing and transportation of food. These challenges do not have set solution but they look to sustainable innovation to change the narrative.”
Also speaking, Shell’s Manager, Social Performance and Social Investment, Pastor Gloria Udoh, expressed confidence that the younger generation would change the country and impact the world.
The secondary schools that participated in the Shell Nxplorer exhibition 2018 are Arch-Deacon Brown Educational Centre, Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School, Oginigba Comprehensive Secondary School, Brookstone Secondary School, Bishop Crowther Memorial Secondary School and Bloombreed High School.
