Yemisi Izuora
Nigeria’s local content implementation drive is expected to produce bigger results with fresh emphasis on investment in the industrial sector.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) which recently laid emphasis on this has called on operators and service companies in the offshore oil and gas sector to deepen investment in domestic manufacturing, research and development as Nigeria seeks to retain more value from its petroleum industry.
The Board said Nigeria had recorded significant progress in engineering and fabrication under the country’s local content regime, but said that the next phase of growth must focus on closing gaps in manufacturing, technology development and research capacity.
The local content implementing Agency stressed this at the OWI West Africa 2026 Conference, West Africa’s leading offshore well intervention forum, in Lagos.
The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, of NCDMB, Mr. Silas Omomehin Ajimijaye, made the remarks during a panel session titled, “Local Capability, Leadership and New Delivery Models, and Execution in West Africa.”
Speaking at the session, Ajimijaye said Nigeria must move beyond participation in the oil and gas sector to building the capacity to lead in critical areas of the industry.
“Nigeria is no longer content merely to participate in the oil and gas industry; we are building the capacity to lead it,” he said.
“We have reached around 80 per cent local content in engineering and fabrication, and our focus now is on closing the manufacturing and research gap so that more value is retained in the country.”
He explained that NCDMB’s policy direction is anchored on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010, as well as Executive Orders and Presidential Directives issued in 2024 to reduce contracting costs, shorten project timelines and strengthen local content compliance.
According to him, manufacturing and research remain critical to achieving the Board’s target of 70 per cent local content retention by the end of 2027.
Ajimijaye noted that much of the manufacturing activity currently taking place in the country still revolves around assembly, adding that the industry must move toward deeper value creation through local production, innovation and research-driven solutions.
“We are asking the industry to build genuine capability with us, to invest in local research and development, and to engage the Board early so that Nigerian content is designed into every project from the start.” he said.
The NCDMB director also highlighted the Board’s investments in human capacity development, including training programmes delivered in partnership with operators such as Renaissance Africa Energy and Seplat Energy.
He said the Board is supporting initiatives to prepare young Nigerians through university-based programmes and centres of excellence established with partner institutions for research, innovation and industry problem-solving.
He added that NCDMB has expanded access to finance through its intervention fund operated in partnership with the Bank of Industry, as well as a dedicated financing window for women-led businesses in the oil and gas sector.
He said such interventions are intended to strengthen indigenous participation, improve competitiveness and ensure that Nigerian companies are better positioned to execute projects within the domestic market and across the wider West African region.
The Board’s participation at OWI West Africa 2026 formed part of its broader agenda under the leadership of the Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, to consolidate the gains recorded over the past decade.
The NCDMB said the goal is to position Nigerian companies not only as service providers in the domestic oil and gas industry but also as exporters of capacity, technology and expertise across Africa and beyond.
The conference brought together industry leaders, regulators, operators and service companies to examine the future of offshore well intervention, local capability, delivery models and operational efficiency in West Africa’s oil and gas sector.