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NCDMB demands collaboration on African local content policy
Sopuruchi Onwuka
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, FNSE, has emphasized that collaboration remains the most critical factor in achieving effective local content policy implementation across Africa’s energy sector.
Speaking at the 10th Anniversary Edition of the Sub-Saharan African International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC 2026) in Lagos, Ogbe said Africa’s ambition to build competitive, inclusive, and sustainable energy industries can only be realized through coordinated efforts among governments, industry players, financial institutions, and host communities.
Delivering the keynote address on the theme “Africa’s Local Content Collaboration Strategy,” the NCDMB boss noted that lessons from recent industry engagements, including SAIPEC 2025, show that local content development across the continent remains a work in progress. According to him, fragmented and siloed approaches have limited impact, making collaboration a strategic necessity rather than an option.
“Local content policies will only deliver meaningful outcomes when stakeholders work together with a shared vision,” Ogbe said, stressing that collective action is required to consolidate gains already recorded in Africa’s oil, gas, and energy sectors.
He explained that Nigeria’s local content journey offers practical insights for the continent. The country’s approach, he said, has evolved from deepening indigenous participation to focused capacity building, supported by policies that prevent the transfer of certification to intermediaries. This, he added, ensures that regulators engage only with competent and capable contractors, with contractor capacity now a key criterion in technical tender evaluations.
At the continental level, Ogbe called for stronger cooperation among African nations, urging stakeholders to leverage the Brazzaville Accord to promote regulatory harmonisation and sectoral alignment. He said such alignment would reduce bottlenecks, improve project competitiveness, and enhance Africa’s ability to attract global investment.
He also highlighted the Africa Energy Bank, being established under the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) in partnership with Afreximbank, as a major milestone in collaborative financing. The Bank, he said, is expected to mobilise capital for African energy projects, improve access to affordable financing, strengthen indigenous companies, and expand technical capacity across the continent.
Ogbe urged governments, regulators, investors, and industry leaders to support the successful operationalisation of the Africa Energy Bank, describing it as critical to unlocking sustainable growth in Africa’s energy sector.
As Africa navigates a rapidly evolving global energy landscape, the NCDMB Executive Secretary concluded that collaboration across borders, institutions, and industries will determine the success of local content policies and the long-term competitiveness of the continent’s energy industry.
