By Sandra Chukwunyere
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in collaboration with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NIPEX), and the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), has unveiled a harmonised framework that will pave the way for a joint industry capacity audit aimed at strengthening local manufacturing and expanding indigenous participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The initiative was announced on Monday at the 25th Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja by the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe.
Represented by the Director of Capacity Building, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, Ogbe said the Board is repositioning Nigeria’s local content programme to focus on industrialisation, manufacturing, innovation and global competitiveness.
He explained that the next phase of local content implementation is moving beyond regulatory compliance and indigenous participation to building globally competitive Nigerian companies.
According to him, the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act since 2010 has increased indigenous participation in the industry from less than five per cent to about 61 per cent, with Nigerian companies now owning strategic assets and executing major projects across the oil and gas value chain.
Despite these achievements, Ogbe said many indigenous manufacturers still struggle with limited market access, technology gaps and inadequate financing.
He stressed that addressing these challenges would require stronger collaboration among regulators, operators, financial institutions, manufacturers and service providers, adding that recent Presidential Directives on Local Content Compliance have created an enabling environment for greater industry cooperation.
Under the newly developed Harmonisation Road Map, NCDMB, NUPRC, NMDPRA, NIPEX and OPTS will upgrade their certification platforms ahead of a joint industry capacity audit, which is expected to commence in the third quarter of the year.
The audit will assess the capabilities of manufacturers and service providers across the oil and gas industry, eliminate unnecessary intermediaries, reduce contracting timelines and encourage direct engagement of qualified indigenous companies.
Ogbe said the exercise would also identify local firms with the capacity to participate in major capital projects, including Nigeria’s planned deepwater developments.
As part of the harmonised framework, the industry has adopted a five-tier classification system for service providers, introducing two new categories—Emerging Players and Essential Vendors—to support the growth of new entrants and prepare them to become manufacturers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
He identified competence, capacity expansion and collaboration as the key pillars that will drive the next phase of Nigeria’s local content development, while calling for increased investment in human capital, technology transfer, innovation, manufacturing and industrial infrastructure.
Ogbe also highlighted several NCDMB initiatives, including the Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate (NCEC) Application Guidance Notes, the Field Readiness Training Programme, the Nigerian Content Trainers Registration Certificate (NCTRC), the Back-to-the-Creek Initiative and the Cradle-to-Career Academic Excellence Recognition and Advancement Programme, describing them as critical to building indigenous capacity.
He added that this year’s NOG Energy Week is expected to deepen stakeholders’ understanding of the NOGICD Act while advancing Nigeria’s local content agenda toward sustainable industrial growth and global competitiveness.
