GE names Julius Berger to Build Multi-Million Dollar Manufacturing and Assembly facility in Calabar

Mr. John Rice

Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has emerged as the preferred bidder to build General Electric’s multi modal manufacturing and Assembly facility in Calabar Nigeria. Julius Berger has also been contracted to build a training facility on the manufacturing site that ensures on-going employee development. In this facility, GE will provide one-year to four-year training programs locally and internationally for repair engineers, welders, fabricators, machinists and special processing.

This was announced by Vice Chairman of GE Mr. John Rice in Abuja during a courtesy visit on the Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Alison Diezani Madueke. He disclosed that the emergence of Julius Berger in a competitive bidding process is in fulfilment of the pledge made last year by GE Chairman Mr. Jeff Immelt who in January 2013 announced a $1billion investment plan in Nigeria, out of which $250 million will be earmarked for capital expenditure that will make Calabar a regional hub for manufacturing, service, and innovation. The facility will have an improved ability to support a broader range of product lines in power generation as well as oil & gas exploration and production. GE has also pledged to spend an additional $800 million over 5 years in local souring of goods/ services, labor, staff welfare and training.

On her part the Minister of Petroleum resources thanked GE for keeping its word on the Calabar project. She GE’s significant investment in Nigeria was another proof point that the present administration was attracting foreign direct investment into the country through which jobs are being created. The minister also expressed confidence in Julius Berger’s ability to deliver on the project and called on the Executive secretary of the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to ensure that local content regulations are strictly followed in the post construction phase of GE’s operations.

Dr. Ernest Nwapa said the award of the contract vindicates the Board’s efforts to ensure that operators in the Oil and Gas sector localize their operations and create jobs for Nigerians. When completed and fully operational, the GE manufacturing and Assembly facility in Calabar will create as least 2,300 direct and indirect jobs.
 
Contracts for the reconstruction and upgrade of the Government Technical College, Ikot Iffanga have also been awarded by GE. Apart from upgrading the existing infrastructure in the school, GE is providing technical equipment and training for the lecturers. The aim is to support the institution in producing world class technicians that could possibly work in the GE manufacturing and Assembly plant in Calabar or any other such facility in the world.