Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, has called for stronger partnerships among African oil and gas producing nations, stressing that no single country can fully develop its local content potentials without regional collaboration.
Delivering a keynote address at the Africa Content Forum, a segment of the Africa Oil Week in Accra, Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, said Africa’s energy future depends on joint efforts that leverage the continent’s diverse strengths.
“Africa’s diverse capabilities are its greatest strength with strong collaboration. Just as a Boeing or Airbus is built with components from different countries, we can build a thriving African energy sector by specializing and trading with one another, where each country specializes in areas where it has a comparative advantage,” Ogbe stated.
He noted that the continent accounts for over 10 percent of global crude oil reserves, eight percent of proven natural gas resources, and hosts critical renewable energy minerals.
However, he lamented that African nations still export raw materials to developed economies with little intra-continental trade.
“The continent’s oil and gas wealth must fuel intra-country trade, industrialization, value retention and prosperity,” he argued, warning that failure to act would perpetuate dependency on external markets.
On strengthening local content programs, Halilu advocated a robust policy framework anchored on governance, enforcement, human capital development and cross-border deployment. He emphasized that research and development must be prioritized.
“Local content policy without research and development will remain static,” he said.
Ogbe further called for a mindset shift, urging stakeholders to stop perceiving local content as a social responsibility initiative but as a strategic tool for retaining capital and building industrial capacity.
“Let us build an African energy sector that is owned, operated, and sustained by Africans. A sector that provides jobs for our youth, creates wealth for our nations, and brings true prosperity to our continent,” he declared.
The forum featured four panel sessions, with discussions spanning African content growth strategies, local expertise, cross-border projects and knowledge exchange, as well as funding opportunities for oil and gas projects.
Speakers underscored the need for deliberate planning, bold policy choices, innovative financing models, and compliance with environmental, social and governance regulations.
The NCDMB’s Nigerian Content Development Fund, NCDF, was showcased as a successful model for building capacity in the oil and gas sector.
