Executive Secretary, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Felix Ogbe has said that for African nations to successfully transform their abundant hydrocarbon resources into shared prosperity for their citizens and economic development, they have to make local content policies and effective implementation the cornerstone of their energy future.
He made the recommendation at the 4th edition of the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO) conference and exhibition on local content in Africa, held in Brazzaville, Congo.
The event is dedicated to advancing local content implementation and energy development in Africa, and is attended by industry stakeholders across the continent.
Ogbe led Nigeria’s delegation as well as represented the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, at the statutory ministerial council meeting, where a new secretary general of the continental body was elected.
Referencing the continent’s rich endowments of over 125 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, contributing over 10 percent of world’s crude oil supply, and over 620 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, the executive secretary posited that African countries would not derive optimal value from their hydrocarbon resources without implementing local content policies, thereby creating value from their industry’s operations and connecting other sectors of their economies.
Ogbe said Nigeria’s experience and successes over the past 15 years provide a living example of what deliberate local content policy can achieve.
However, he stressed that local content is not merely a regulatory framework, but a development strategy which must be implemented with pragmatism.
According to him, local content “represents our resolve to build indigenous capacity, retain value within our borders, and create sustainable jobs for our young and dynamic population.”
Drawing from the successes of local content implementation in the Nigerian oil and gas industry and linkage sectors, Ogbere stated the NCDMB’s commitment to sharing its expertise, learnings, frameworks, and digital tools with other African petroleum-producing countries to strengthen local participation across the continent.
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He confirmed that the NCDMB’s vision extends beyond Nigeria, adding that the agency has built institutional frameworks that can serve as models for other African nations.
The templates include the local content policy design, implementation structures, monitoring templates, and digital compliance systems like the NOGIC joint qualification system.
Speaking further, he canvassed the establishment of an African Energy Services Network to foster collaboration among member states of the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO) for better value retention in the continent’s oil and gas projects.
Ogbe stated that the network would add a fresh layer to the strategic vision that birthed such continental organizations as APPO, African Energy Bank, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), whose collective focus is the advancement of intra-country trade, local content and cross-border linkages to achieve energy security and rapid economic development in Africa.
He indicated that Nigerian service companies are desirous to forge joint ventures with their African counterparts to deliver engineering, marine, fabrication, and digital energy services.
In addition, Ogbe added that cross-border investments in modular refineries, gas processing plants, and local manufacturing could be promoted.
