By Seun Ibiyemi
The Federal Government through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, has urged stakeholders in the energy sector to adopt performance-driven local content strategies to accelerate industrial growth and position African companies for global competitiveness.
Ekpo made the appeal while opening a strategic session titled “Local Content Beyond Compliance: Building African Industrial Powerhouses,” at the 9th Nigeria International Energy Summit.
He acknowledged the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that the administration’s commitment to economic reform, energy security, and industrialization continues to guide Nigeria’s gas-focused development agenda.
Describing the summit’s theme, “Energy for Peace and Prosperity: Securing Our Shared Future,” as significant, the minister emphasized that natural gas remains central to energy security, economic resilience, and Africa’s broader industrial future.
“Gas represents our most immediate, scalable, and inclusive pathway to economic diversification, industrial growth, and shared prosperity,” he said.
Ekpo stressed that unlocking the sector’s vast opportunities would require more than resource availability and infrastructure, calling for a deliberate rethink of how local content is designed and executed across the gas value chain.
He noted that although compliance-based frameworks have improved indigenous participation, they have not always resulted in technologically advanced companies or ensured sustainable value retention within local economies.
“What is required now is a shift toward local content that builds industrial strength and long-term competitiveness,” he stated.
The minister highlighted the importance of strengthening indigenous capacity in engineering, gas processing, pipeline construction, fabrication, liquefied natural gas services, operations and maintenance, and downstream utilization.
According to him, African companies must be productive, innovative, financially viable, and export-ready.
Reaffirming gas as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, Ekpo identified opportunities in power generation, clean cooking, fertiliser production, petrochemicals, methanol, and compressed natural gas transportation as key drivers of job creation and regional integration.
He called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders, urging government to provide stable policy direction, industry operators to integrate capacity development into project planning, financial institutions to create funding solutions for indigenous firms, and academic institutions to align training with modern technical and digital requirements.
Ekpo noted that effective implementation of performance-driven local content could foster the emergence of African industrial champions capable of competing regionally and exporting expertise globally.
“The decisions we make today will determine whether Africa continues as a supplier of raw energy resources or rises as a global leader in gas-based industrial development,” he said before declaring the session open.