KEFFESO Host Communities Development Trust’ (KHCDT)
The KEFFESO Host Community Development Trust (KHCDT) was officially incorporated on August 28, 2023, with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). As a non-profit, non-political organization, KHCDT is dedicated to driving sustainable community development by executing the KEFFESO host communities’ development plan. We efficiently manage the Trust’s assets and funds to ensure effective and impactful initiatives. Currently funded by the NNPC-FIRST E&P joint venture, KHCDT also seeks to mobilize resources from international development agencies, Nigerian institutions, government bodies and other sources to support community development activities.
Our History
FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited (FIRST E&P) is a Nigerian oil and gas company that was established in 2011. It operates a JV with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in OMLs 83 (Anyala Field) and 85 (Madu Field). Both OMLs were acquired from Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), are in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Bayelsa State.
The company in 2018, formalized a partnership with eight neighboring onshore communities—Koluama 1, Koluama 2, Ezetu 1, Ezetu 2, Foropa, Fish Town, Ekeni, and Sangana—collectively known as KEFFES. This partnership was formalized through a Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) and managed by the KEFFES Rural Development Foundation (KRDF) for over six years. Following the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2021, three additional communities—Opu Okumbiri, Okumbiribeleu, and Oginibiri -were included, expanding the acronym from KEFFES to KEFFESO. The PIA mandates the establishment of a Host Communities Development Trust to enhance socio-economic infrastructure of these communities within the petroleum mining lease.