– Ogbe calls for African Energy Services Network, backs African Energy Bank
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has called on African nations to make local content policy and effective implementation the cornerstone of their hydrocarbon development strategy, if the continent must achieve sustainable prosperity from its vast oil and gas resources.
Speaking at the 4th African Petroleum Producers Organisation, APPO, Conference and Exhibition on Local Content in Brazzaville, Congo, Ogbe said Africa’s 125 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves and over 620 trillion cubic feet of natural gas would remain underutilised unless countries move from resource extraction to value retention through local participation.
“For Africa to benefit optimally from its hydrocarbon wealth, we must place local content at the heart of our energy policy. Local content is not merely a regulatory framework, it is a development strategy. It represents our resolve to build indigenous capacity, retain value within our borders, and create sustainable jobs for our young and dynamic population,” Ogbe declared.
Representing Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, at the event, Ogbe stated that Nigeria’s experience over the last 15 years demonstrates how deliberate policy and robust institutions can transform the oil and gas landscape.
He said NCDMB’s success in driving local content has created a template for industrialization and inclusive growth.
He highlighted that the Board’s frameworks including the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development, NOGICD Act, the NOGIC Joint Qualification System, NOGIC JQS, and digital monitoring tools, are models that can be replicated across Africa.
“We have built institutional structures that can serve as models for other African nations. We are ready to share our experience, frameworks, and digital systems to strengthen local participation continent-wide,” Ogbe assured.
The NCDMB boss also proposed the creation of an African Energy Services Network under APPO, aimed at fostering collaboration among member states for better value retention in oil and gas projects.
“We need a framework where fabrication, manufacturing, and engineering hubs across the continent complement each other, creating a pan-African industrial ecosystem. Nigeria already has the infrastructure and expertise to drive this transformative process,” he said.
Ogbe commended APPO and Afreximbank for establishing the African Energy Bank, describing it as “a critical milestone that will provide competitive financing for African oil and gas projects.”
He pledged NCDMB’s technical support, saying: “NCDMB stands ready to collaborate, providing expertise and project linkages to make the Bank’s objectives a reality.”
Highlighting Nigeria’s achievements, Ogbe cited the Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading, FPSO, Integration Yard in Lagos, the first of its kind in Africa, and the Board’s oil and gas industrial parks in Bayelsa and Cross River States as examples of infrastructure that could serve regional industrial needs.
He added that “through our Human Capacity Development programmes, we have trained over 20,000 Nigerians in specialised oil and gas skills. Nigerian service companies are now prepared to form joint ventures with African counterparts in engineering, fabrication, and digital energy services.”
The conference, attended by energy ministers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders from across the continent, also featured panel sessions where senior NCDMB officials showcased Nigeria’s local content success stories.
The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, who moderated one of the sessions, said NCDMB’s journey demonstrates that local content is achievable with consistency and commitment.
“Nigeria has shown that African nations can build capacity, grow indigenous companies, and compete globally when policy meets determination,” he noted.
