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The inaugural Oil Industry Host Community Summit, HostComm, is set to bring together key stakeholders to develop scalable funding models for community infrastructure and strengthen collaboration between oil and gas operators and their host communities.
Created by a consortium of three oil and gas-focused organisations — Caritas Communications Limited, Africa Oil+Gas Report (AOGR) and Pedestal Africa — HostComm is positioned as a platform for addressing the gap between regulatory requirements and their implementation at the community level.
The summit, scheduled for August 9–10, 2027, in Lagos, will be held under the theme: “Building Trust, Creating Shared Value and Sustaining Development.” According to the organisers, the summit will address the operational, financial and governance challenges affecting host community engagement in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, with emphasis on practical solutions, conflict resolution and bankable community development models.
The event comes as Nigeria’s energy sector continues to implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and its provisions on host community development. The organisers said the Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT) framework established under the PIA should be viewed not merely as a statutory requirement but as a critical component of the industry’s social licence to operate across upstream, midstream and downstream assets.
“Sustainable energy production requires more than capital and hardware; it demands absolute alignment with host communities. The HostComm™ Summit is structured to de-risk investments, hold stakeholders accountable, and ensure the 3 per cent OPEX capital allocated to trusts in the PIA yields measurable, long-term impact,” the organisers said.
The summit will also provide a platform for oil, gas and energy operators to benchmark performance, showcase high-impact HCDT initiatives and strengthen strategies for effective community engagement.
Financial institutions, private equity firms, development finance institutions and ESG experts are expected to participate in discussions aimed at developing sustainable and scalable funding models for host community infrastructure.
The organisers said the summit would further facilitate high-level engagement among operators, regulators, traditional institutions and host community leaders to improve governance, resolve disputes and reduce risks associated with community relations.
It will also examine ways service companies, EPC contractors and local vendors can integrate host community capacity into the wider energy value chain, thereby creating opportunities for local participation and economic development.
The summit is expected to attract key decision-makers shaping the future of Nigeria and West Africa’s energy sector, including upstream, midstream and downstream operators, chief executive officers, asset managers, external affairs and sustainable development executives, government policymakers and industry regulators.
HostComm is therefore positioned as a practical industry platform for converting host community obligations under the PIA into sustainable development outcomes, stronger relationships and greater value for communities and energy operators.
(LEADERSHIP)
