Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is set to host a new platform designed at addressing one of the sector’s most persistent investment challenges and build sustainable relationships between operators and host communities.
The inaugural Host Community Summit HostComm™ is scheduled to hold on August 9 – 10, 2027, in Lagos, bringing together key stakeholders across the oil and gas value chain to examine practical solutions to host community engagement.
Created by a consortium comprising Caritas Communications Limited, Africa Oil+Gas Report (AOGR) and Pedestal Africa, HostComm™ is designed to bridge the gap between regulatory requirements and on the ground implementation.
With the theme, “Building Trust, Creating Shared Value and Sustaining Development,” the summit will focus on conflict prevention, community development, governance, investment protection and models for delivering sustainable value to host communities.
The summit comes as industry stakeholders continue to navigate the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, particularly the Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT) framework.
Beyond regulatory compliance, effective host community engagement is critical to protecting investments, reducing operational disruptions and creating a stable environment for long-term energy development.
HostComm™ will therefore provide a platform for regulators, operators, investors, host community representatives, financial institutions and other stakeholders to examine how the HCDT framework can deliver measurable development outcomes while strengthening the industry’s social licence to operate.
The summit will also examine how the 3% of operating expenditure allocated to Host Community Development Trusts under the PIA can be deployed more effectively to support bankable, sustainable and community-driven development projects.
According to the organisers, sustainable oil and gas production requires more than financial investment and infrastructure; it requires trust, accountability and meaningful alignment between industry operators and the communities in which they operate.
HostComm™ is positioned as a national platform to help achieve that alignment and ultimately contribute to a more stable and investment-friendly Nigerian energy sector.
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