By Sandra Chukwunyere
Subheading: Partnership targets improved access to $40m funding facility, capacity building and increased opportunities for women-owned businesses.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) are deepening collaboration to expand women’s participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, with particular focus on improving access to a dedicated $40 million financing facility for women-owned businesses.
The proposed partnership will also address barriers limiting women’s participation in the sector through capacity building, vendor development, increased awareness of available financing and possible affirmative procurement measures.
According to a statement signed by the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division of NCDMB, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, the UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ms. Beatrice Eyong, led a delegation to the Board’s Abuja liaison office on Thursday, October 29, 2026. Ezeobi received the delegation on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe.
The meeting explored capacity-building initiatives for NCDMB personnel to strengthen gender perspectives in the Board’s project planning, budgeting and implementation processes.
Both organisations also discussed strategies to prepare women-led businesses for opportunities in the oil and gas industry, increase awareness of available financing and introduce possible affirmative procurement measures to expand women-owned companies’ participation across the sector’s value chain.
NCDMB established a $20 million fund in April 2021 to support women-owned and women-led businesses in the oil and gas sector. The Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) complemented the initiative with an additional $20 million, bringing the facility to $40 million.
However, uptake of the facility has remained below expectations despite the funding commitment and favourable loan terms.
Eyong commended NCDMB for its existing gender inclusion initiatives and proposed a study to identify the challenges preventing women from accessing the financing facility.
She identified possible barriers, including documentation requirements, business registration, tax compliance and inadequate awareness of the facility.
The UN Women representative also highlighted the organisation’s programmes on women’s economic empowerment, leadership development and the elimination of gender-based violence.
Responding, Ezeobi welcomed the proposals and reaffirmed NCDMB’s readiness to collaborate with UN Women to expand opportunities for women in the oil and gas industry.
He highlighted the Board’s dedicated financing scheme with NEXIM Bank, which allows women-owned and women-led businesses to access loans at a competitive interest rate of five per cent.
He also identified the establishment of a Diversity Sectoral Working Group within the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF) as another measure to integrate women’s issues into local content policy and decision-making processes.
According to him, the Board supports associations of women working across the energy industry value chain, providing platforms for networking, confidence building and the development of professional and business relationships.
Ezeobi further disclosed that NCDMB had invested in capacity-building programmes for women entrepreneurs and business leaders in areas such as business sustainability, corporate governance and strategic management.
He said the Board also supports women’s participation in technical occupations and encourages young girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The NCDMB official acknowledged that women remain underrepresented in the oil and gas industry. He identified limited access to technical education, finance and commercial opportunities, as well as entrenched perceptions of the sector as predominantly male, as factors contributing to the situation.
Ezeobi reaffirmed the Board’s willingness to work with UN Women to address these challenges and recommended strategies to accelerate NCDMB’s support for the organisation’s programmes, thereby advancing gender inclusion across the industry.
