Local content key to Africa’s energy future — NCDMB
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 policies the cornerstone of their energy future.
The NCDMB ES made the call at the 4th edition of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) Conference and Exhibition on Local Content in Africa, held in Brazzaville, Congo.
The conference, which focuses on advancing local content implementation and energy development across the continent, was attended by industry stakeholders from various African countries.
Speaking, Ogbe said local content is crucial for transforming the continent’s abundant hydrocarbon resources into shared prosperity and sustainable economic development.
Referencing Africa’s vast oil and gas endowment over 125 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves and more than 620 trillion cubic feet of natural gas Ogbe stressed that the continent would not derive optimal benefits from its resources without effective local content policies. He said such policies enable value creation within national economies and foster linkages between the oil and gas sector and other industries.
He cited Nigeria’s experience over the past 15 years as a practical demonstration of what deliberate and well-implemented local content policies can achieve. According to him, local content is more than a regulatory framework it is a pragmatic development strategy aimed at building indigenous capacity, retaining value within borders, and creating sustainable jobs for Africa’s young population.
Ogbe reaffirmed NCDMB’s commitment to sharing Nigeria’s expertise, frameworks, and digital tools with other African petroleum-producing nations to boost local participation in the energy sector. He noted that the Board’s institutional frameworks ranging from policy design and implementation structures to monitoring templates and the digital compliance system, the NOGIC Joint Qualification System (NOGIC JQS) can serve as models for other African countries.
The NCDMB boss also advocated for the creation of an African Energy Services Network to promote collaboration among APPO member states. He said such a network would enhance value retention within the continent’s oil and gas projects and deepen industrial cooperation.
Ogbe, who also serves as Nigeria’s representative on APPO’s Executive Board, explained that the proposed network aligns with the vision behind existing continental initiatives such as the African Energy Bank and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He said it would provide a framework for fabrication, manufacturing, and engineering hubs across Africa to complement one another, thereby creating a pan-African industrial ecosystem driven by existing capacities in Nigeria and other member countries.