05 Feb 2020

DPR suspends manual processing of licences permits

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has suspended the manual processing of all downstream application for licenses and permits.

The agency explained further that to replace the manual process, it has launched its digitization initiative for downstream operations under the ‘Automated Downstream System’ (ADS) program.

The digital initiative according to DPR is designed to improve overall efficiency and accelerate DPR downstream regulatory performance by reducing application processing time, enhance transparency, provide platform for accurate downstream statistics, integrate with other stakeholders for document verification purposes and improve revenue collection.

DPR disclosed that with the ADS  in place,  the DPR no longer  accepts manual processing  of downstream applications as all applications for license and permits have been migrated to digital platforms.

The ADS is in line with DPR’s alignment with government’s ease of doing business policy which is geared towards economic growth.

The initiative comprises amongst others, the following licences and permits: retail outlet monitoring (ROMS) license for kerosene peddlers, retail stations and industrial consumers, import/export permit (IMPEX) for Petroleum products, coastal vessel licence (CVL), lube oil blending plant licence (LOBL), depot licence (DL) and refining processing licence (RPL).

accepts manual processing  of downstream applications as all applications for license and permits have ‘‘Applicants are therefore expected to visit the Electronic license and Permit System (ELPS) portal on our website (www.dpr.gov.ng) and take the following steps: create your company account by completing your corporate profile, apply for license or permit required, Pay application fee online or through bank branches nationwide, upload required documents in PDF or TIFF file format.

Others are; review and submit application for processing, DPR issuance of licence or permit’’

Meanwhile, the department has also introduced the smart inspector solution to ease technical inspection, real-time data gathering and monitoring of oil and gas facilities to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.