The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has called for stronger collaboration among African countries to harness local content potential and drive economic diversification and industrial growth in the oil and gas sector.
The call was made during a strategic engagement in Namibia focused on African local content opportunities and cross-border partnerships.
Representing the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Mr Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Director, Corporate Services, Dr Abdulmalik Halilu, said Africa must leverage its capabilities, harmonise local content policies and foster strategic business partnerships to retain value on the continent.
Speaking on the theme, “African Local Content Opportunities: Pathway to Economic Diversification and Development,” Halilu noted that several African countries had established legal and regulatory frameworks for local content, providing a foundation for regional integration.
He said African local content should promote cross-border capacities and capabilities as a catalyst for industrialisation.
Halilu referenced the aspirations of the 2025 APPO Ministerial Council Brazzaville Declaration, which seeks to strengthen supplier capacity, support skills development, promote joint ventures, harmonise regulations and encourage public-private partnerships to enhance African participation in the oil and gas industry.
He showcased existing African capabilities in fabrication, engineering, manufacturing, subsea services, marine operations and project execution, noting that strategic collaboration could unlock significant value.
Citing Nigeria’s success story, he said the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act had transformed the sector through data-driven implementation, compliance monitoring, supplier development and strategic investments.
According to him, the future of African local content lies in business-to-business partnerships that enable companies from different countries to jointly execute major projects.
He listed partnership models to include prime-subcontractor arrangements, incorporated local content joint ventures, contractual consortium bids and reciprocal market access alliances.
Halilu added that achieving an integrated local content ecosystem would require regulatory harmonisation, trade facilitation, customs cooperation, immigration reforms and access to sustainable financing.
He also endorsed the creation of a pan-African supplier database and interactive opportunities platform to showcase African capabilities.
“The opportunities across Africa can only be fully unlocked through deliberate and synchronised efforts that enable cross-border service delivery. The Brazzaville Declaration is an important starting point, but implementation, partnership and policy alignment will determine the success of pan-African local content,” he said.
He said leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area framework would create new opportunities for indigenous companies to compete and deliver world-class projects.
Also speaking during the first panel session, the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, NCDMB, Mr Esueme Dan Kikile, spoke on global best practices for strengthening local participation and maximising in-country value.
Kikile urged Namibia to adopt practical approaches to supplier development, skills transfer and enterprise growth, drawing lessons from other oil-producing countries.
During the exhibition tour at the 2026 Namibian Oil and Gas Conference, the Vice President of Namibia, Mrs Lucia Witbooi, visited the NCDMB exhibition stand.
She was received by Kikile and other officials of the Board, who highlighted the mandate of the NCDMB and the impact of the NOGICD Act on Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
