By Sandra Chukwunyere
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has called for stronger collaboration among African countries to unlock the continent’s vast local content potential and accelerate economic diversification, industrial development and sustainable growth.
The Board said greater cooperation among African businesses, regulators and institutions would help strengthen indigenous capacity, retain more value within the continent and create new opportunities across the oil and gas value chain.
Representing the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu made the call during a strategic engagement at the 2026 Namibian Oil and Gas Conference in Windhoek.
Speaking on the theme, “African Local Content Opportunities: Pathway to Economic Diversification and Development,”
Halilu said African countries must begin to look beyond their individual markets and leverage one another’s capabilities to drive industrialisation.
He noted that several African countries had established legal and regulatory frameworks for local content development, creating a foundation for greater regional integration and cooperation.
According to him, African local content should promote the development and utilisation of cross-border capacities and capabilities rather than confining opportunities to individual national markets.
Halilu said Africa already possesses significant capabilities in fabrication, engineering, manufacturing, subsea services, marine operations and project execution, which could be deployed more effectively through strategic partnerships among African companies and institutions.
He also referenced the key aspirations of the 2025 APPO Ministerial Council Brazzaville Declaration, which encourages African countries to strengthen supplier capacity, promote skills development and knowledge transfer, support joint ventures and partnerships, harmonise local content regulations and deepen public-private partnerships.
Using Nigeria’s experience as an example, Halilu said the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act had significantly increased indigenous participation in the country’s oil and gas industry.
He attributed the progress to measures including data-driven implementation, compliance monitoring, supplier development programmes and strategic investments in local capacity.
Halilu said the experience demonstrated that effective local content policies could help transform domestic industries while improving competitiveness and creating opportunities for indigenous businesses.
He stressed that the next phase of African local content development should focus on practical business-to-business partnerships that would allow companies from different countries to jointly pursue and execute major projects.
According to him, prime-subcontractor arrangements, incorporated local content joint ventures, contractual consortium bids and reciprocal market access alliances could provide effective platforms for African companies to participate in large-scale energy projects.
He, however, noted that achieving a truly integrated Pan-African local content ecosystem would require coordinated action in several areas beyond the oil and gas sector.
These, he said, include regulatory harmonisation, trade facilitation, customs cooperation, immigration reforms and access to sustainable financing.
Halilu also advocated the creation of a Pan-African supplier database and interactive opportunities platform that would aggregate and showcase African capabilities and connect businesses with potential partners and projects across the continent.
“The opportunities available across Africa can only be fully unlocked through deliberate and synchronized efforts that enable cross-border service delivery and industrial collaboration,” Halilu said.
He added that the Brazzaville Declaration represents an important starting point, but its success would ultimately depend on effective implementation, strong partnerships and policy alignment.
Halilu further said that leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework could create new opportunities for indigenous companies to collaborate, compete and deliver world-class projects across Africa.
He said stronger cooperation among African institutions and businesses would enable the continent to build stronger indigenous companies, improve local value retention and reduce dependence on external capacity for major energy projects.
At the first panel session of the conference, the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at NCDMB, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile, Esq., shared perspectives on global best practices and strategies for strengthening local participation and maximising in-country value in the oil and gas industry.
Kikile urged Namibian stakeholders to explore practical approaches to supplier development, skills transfer, enterprise growth and sustainable local content implementation.
He said lessons from the experiences of other oil-producing countries could provide useful guidance for Namibia as it develops its oil and gas industry and seeks to maximise the benefits of its natural resources.
During an exhibition tour at the 2026 Namibian Oil and Gas Conference, Namibia’s Vice President, Her Excellency Mrs. Lucia Witbooi, visited the NCDMB exhibition stand.
She was received by Kikile alongside other officials of the Board.
Kikile used the opportunity to explain the Board’s mandate and activities, highlighting the significance of the NOGICD Act and its transformative impact on Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
He also emphasised the importance of regional collaboration and knowledge exchange in building a stronger, more resilient and sustainable African energy sector.
The NCDMB said sustained cooperation among African countries and businesses would be critical to building indigenous capacity, promoting industrialisation and ensuring that a greater share of the value generated from Africa’s natural resources remains within the continent.
