Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The just-concluded 5th Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair, NOGOF 2025, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has been hailed as a watershed moment, a powerful declaration that Nigerian local content is no longer an aspiration but a driving force redefining the future of the oil and gas industry across Africa.
Organized by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, the two-day biennial event brought together over 1,000 delegates from across Nigeria and beyond, including operators, regulators, service providers, policymakers, and financiers.
At the heart of every panel, keynote, and goodwill message was one theme: “Driving Investment and Production Growth: Shaping a Sustainable Oil and Gas Industry through Indigenous Capacity Development.”
From symbolic awards to billion-dollar pledges, and from visionary policy pronouncements to regional collaboration, NOGOF 2025 presented not just a snapshot of industry progress, but a blueprint for an indigenous energy revolution.
Nigerian content grows from aspiration to execution
NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, set the tone for the event with a bold proclamation: Nigerian Content has moved beyond dreams.
“Today, we are proud to say Nigerian content has moved from aspiration to execution. From ISO-certified fabrication yards in Warri and Port Harcourt to modular refineries in Imo and Delta States, Nigerians are not just participating, they are delivering at the highest level.”
According to Ogbe, in-country value retention has risen from a mere 5% in 2010 to 56% by the end of 2024, a remarkable achievement built on regulatory backing, deliberate investments, and visionary leadership.
He emphasized the need to deepen indigenous capacity across all segments of the value chain, especially the midstream and downstream sectors, while calling for a radical revamp of Human Capital Development, HCD.
“With increased industry activities, the need to train and retrain our people becomes even more urgent. We must build a pipeline of talent to sustain our momentum,” he charged.
$15Billion indigenous investment targeted by renaissance
In one of the most consequential announcements, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited (the newly minted consortium that acquired Shell’s onshore and shallow water assets) disclosed plans to invest $15 billion over five years across the Niger Delta.
Represented by Managing Director Chief Tony Attah, Renaissance’s General Manager, Supply Chain, Mr. Greg Akhibi, outlined 32 upcoming projects covering drilling, fabrication, pipelines, and a doubling of gas output.
“We currently produce 150 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, but with the AKK pipeline coming onstream, we aim to hit 300 MMSCF/d. This investment will balance our portfolio and boost domestic utilisation and exports.”
The move was lauded by NCDMB and other stakeholders as a clear demonstration of how indigenous firms are now leading the charge in exploration, production, and energy delivery.
APPO throws weight behind local content
For the first time, the African Petroleum Producers Organization, APPO, played an active role at NOGOF, signaling a continent-wide interest in Nigeria’s local content framework.
Representing 18 oil-producing nations, APPO Secretary General Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim commended NCDMB’s leadership and called for deeper cross-border collaboration.
“What Nigeria has done with local content is exemplary. We need to adapt this model across Africa to build resilient, self-sustaining oil economies that are less vulnerable to global shocks.”
Farouk affirmed APPO’s support for Nigeria’s energy transition plans and emphasized the importance of developing regional markets for African oil and gas products, backed by African financing.
He further urged Nigerian manufacturers to take their innovations beyond domestic markets and into other oil-producing African countries.
Policy reforms take center stage
The Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, used his keynote to reassure investors of Nigeria’s readiness to produce more, export more, and earn more.
“With President Tinubu’s recent executive orders, including the Nigeria First policy, we have removed bottlenecks and created a more predictable business environment. This is our season of renewed hope in the energy sector.”
Lokpobiri also called on the private sector to take full advantage of the federal government’s reforms, emphasizing that investment in domestic refining and gas utilization will not only reduce imports but create thousands of jobs.
He highlighted the ongoing support of the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, Project 100, and emphasized that NOGOF is not just a networking platform, but a marketplace for “bankable investment decisions.”
NUPRC reinforces investment confidence
Also speaking at the forum, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, assured industry players of the Commission’s continued efforts to foster a transparent, competitive, and investor-friendly upstream environment.
“We have launched initiatives like the Industry Sustainability Framework and improved asset monetization strategies that guarantee attractive returns for investors while ensuring compliance with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Host Communities Development regulations,” he said.
Komolafe emphasized that NUPRC was aligning upstream licensing and data systems to complement NCDMB’s local content goals, urging companies to capitalize on Nigeria’s abundant reserves under a clear, reform-driven framework.
NMDPRA prioritizes midstream-downstream growth
On his part, the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, Engr. Farouk Ahmed, emphasized the growing opportunities in gas infrastructure, domestic refining, and energy distribution.
“Nigeria’s midstream and downstream sectors are ripe for investment. The Authority has simplified licensing procedures and provided fiscal incentives that support indigenous participation across gas processing, LPG distribution, pipelines, and terminals,” Ahmed stated.
He called for more synergy between regulators, financiers, and indigenous operators to optimize gas utilization and drive energy security.
State-Level concerns over host community funds in PIA
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, used the forum to advocate for state governments to be granted statutory oversight roles in managing the Host Community Development Trusts, HCDTs, under the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA.
“The PIA gives responsibilities to communities but none to states, yet when conflicts arise over fund mismanagement, it is the states that bear the burden,” he said.
Diri also lamented Bayelsa’s exclusion from divestment negotiations involving IOCs, particularly the recently concluded Shell and Agip deals, despite being a key oil-producing state.
SweetCrude Reports launches inaugural Nigerian Content Awards
A major highlight of NOGOF 2025 was the Nigerian Content Awards, jointly organized by SweetCrude Reports and NCDMB. The awards recognized individuals and organizations setting new standards in indigenous capacity development, innovation, and inclusive growth.
Award Winners Included: Renaissance Africa Energy – International Upstream Operator of the Year; Aradel Holdings – Independent Upstream Operator of the Year; Nigeria LNG – Midstream Operator of the Year; Dangote Refinery – Downstream Operator of the Year; Dorman Long Engineering – Indigenous Service Company of the Year; TechnipFMC – International Service Company of the Year.
Others include Bank of Industry – Financial Services Provider of the Year; This Day Newspaper – Media Organization of the Year; Prof. Emenike Ejiogu – Innovator of the Year; Engr. Tony Attah – Content Icon of the Year; Dr. Goodluck Jonathan – Lifetime Achievement Award; Iroghama Ogbeifun – Women in Leadership Award.
Jonathan reflects on the origin of Nigerian Content Law
In his acceptance remarks, former President Goodluck Jonathan praised the industry’s resilience and shared insights on the origins of the NOGICD Act, which he signed into law in 2010 as Acting President.
“The law was a necessary response to the economic leakage we witnessed. Foreign firms executed billion-dollar projects here with minimal local participation. That had to change,” he said.
Jonathan recounted his visit to China as a Bayelsa deputy governor, which influenced his advocacy for local content. He also highlighted the importance of building institutions like NCDMB that drive local innovation and job creation.
“The oil sector must not only extract but must develop the people. We must use what we have to get what we want,” he charged.
Legislative backing for indigenous capacity
Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Local Content, Hon. Boma Goodhead, pledged continuous support from the National Assembly to strengthen local content legislation.
“Local content is about ensuring Nigerians are not bystanders in their own economy. We are here to listen, support, and legislate towards deeper value creation,” she assured.
A continent-wide call to action
As panels closed, exhibitions wound down, and delegates exchanged final handshakes, the spirit of NOGOF 2025 lingered—one of clarity, collaboration, and a renewed commitment to homegrown solutions.
From the NCDMB’s aggressive push for human capital development, to APPO’s continental endorsement, to Renaissance’s $15 billion declaration, it’s clear that Nigeria is no longer waiting for global approval to lead its energy future.
As Engr. Ogbe declared, “We must not only produce barrels, we must create value, build skills, and shape destinies. The time to act is now.”
If the energy and ambition witnessed in Yenagoa are anything to go by, NOGOF 2025 may very well be remembered as the moment Nigeria turned the local content doctrine into a continental mission.
