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Accugas becomes first midstream operator in Nigeria to inaugurate HCDT Board.
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Trust covers host communities across Akwa Ibom, Cross River; Board tasked with integrity, transparency, community-driven projects.
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HCDT established under Petroleum Industry Act 2021.
September 24, (THEWILL) – Accugas Limited, the Nigerian midstream subsidiary of Savannah Energy Plc, has inaugurated the Board of Trustees of its Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT), becoming the first midstream operator in Nigeria to inaugurate such a trust.
The inauguration, held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, covers Accugas’ host communities across Akwa Ibom and Cross River States and marks a new phase in the company’s engagement with communities in its areas of operation.
The HCDT was established under the framework of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 to provide a structured platform through which host communities can identify, prioritise and implement development initiatives that address their needs.
The development also aligns with the Midstream Petroleum (Host Communities Development Trust) Regulations, 2024, issued by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). The framework provides for qualifying midstream operators to contribute annually to host-community development.
The Senior Manager, Host Community Development Trust, NMDPRA, Cynthia Nzeh, described the inauguration as a significant milestone, noting that the Accugas HCDT was the first midstream Host Communities’ Development Trust to be inaugurated in Nigeria.
Nzeh charged the Board to serve with integrity, transparency and accountability, while ensuring that projects and initiatives implemented through the Trust are driven by the actual needs and priorities of the host communities.
Head of Stakeholder Relations and Regional Manager, Nigeria, Savannah Energy, Nkoyo Etuk, said the establishment of the Trust would build on Accugas’ longstanding relationship with its host communities.
According to her, the framework would give communities greater responsibility, ownership and participation in development initiatives, building on previous interventions in education, healthcare, economic empowerment and infrastructure.
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The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Bassey Itama Abang, said the Board would focus on ensuring that the Trust delivers meaningful and sustainable development outcomes rather than functioning as a contract-awarding institution.
He said the Board would work with Accugas, community leaders and other stakeholders to advance projects that genuinely reflect the priorities of the communities and create lasting value.
The inauguration represents a formalisation of Accugas’ host-community development obligations and provides a governance structure through which community development interventions can be planned and implemented under the PIA framework.
Accugas has, over the years, supported initiatives in its host communities covering education, healthcare, economic empowerment, infrastructure and other areas of community development.
A stakeholder close to the development told THEWILL that the real test of the new Trust would be its ability to translate the statutory framework into visible, community-driven projects.
“The inauguration is important because it gives the host communities a structured platform to participate in determining what development means to them. What matters now is that the Board remains transparent, listens to the communities and ensures that the resources provided under the framework produce projects that people can actually identify with and sustain.”
