By Peace Udugba
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has called for stronger collaboration among African countries to unlock the continent’s local content potential and accelerate economic diversification, industrial development and sustainable growth across the oil and gas value chain.
The call was made during a strategic engagement at the 2026 Namibian Oil and Gas Conference (NOGC), where the Board advocated cross-border partnerships, policy harmonisation and greater utilisation of African capabilities.
Representing the NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu said African countries must leverage existing capacities and deepen cooperation among businesses and institutions to retain more value within the continent.
Speaking on “African Local Content Opportunities: Pathway to Economic Diversification and Development,” Halilu noted that several African countries had established legal and regulatory frameworks for local content development, providing a foundation for stronger regional integration and industrial cooperation.
He said African local content policies should go beyond individual countries by promoting the development and deployment of cross-border capacities and capabilities as a catalyst for Africa’s industrialisation.
Halilu referenced key aspirations of the 2025 APPO Ministerial Council Brazzaville Declaration, which encourages African countries to strengthen supplier capacity, promote skills development and knowledge transfer, support joint ventures and partnerships, harmonise local content regulations and encourage public-private partnerships to increase African participation in the oil and gas industry.
He also highlighted existing African capabilities in fabrication, engineering, manufacturing, subsea services, marine operations and project execution, noting that these resources could be deployed more effectively through strategic partnerships among African companies and institutions.
Drawing from Nigeria’s local content experience, Halilu explained that a data-driven implementation framework had contributed significantly to the growth of indigenous participation since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
According to him, robust data systems, compliance monitoring, supplier development programmes and strategic investments have strengthened local participation while improving competitiveness in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
He said the future of African local content would depend largely on practical business-to-business partnerships that allow companies from different African countries to jointly pursue and execute major projects.
He identified prime-subcontractor arrangements, incorporated local content joint ventures, contractual consortium bids and reciprocal market-access alliances as possible models for expanding African participation in large-scale energy projects.
Halilu stressed that building an integrated African local content ecosystem would require coordinated action in areas such as regulatory harmonisation, trade facilitation, customs cooperation, immigration reforms and access to sustainable financing.
He also supported the creation of a Pan-African supplier database and interactive opportunities platform to aggregate and showcase capabilities available across the continent.
“The opportunities available across Africa can only be fully unlocked through deliberate and synchronised efforts that enable cross-border service delivery and industrial collaboration. The Brazzaville Declaration represents an important starting point, but implementation, partnership and policy alignment will ultimately determine the success of Pan-African local content,” Halilu said.
He further stated that leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework and strengthening cooperation among African institutions and businesses could create new opportunities for indigenous companies to compete, collaborate and execute world-class projects across the continent.
During the first panel session, the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at NCDMB, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile, Esq., shared perspectives on global best practices and strategies for strengthening local participation and maximising in-country value in the oil and gas industry.
Kikile also encouraged Namibians to explore practical approaches to supplier development, skills transfer, enterprise growth and sustainable local content, drawing lessons from the experiences of other oil-producing countries.
The discussions focused on how such lessons could support the development of a resilient and sustainable oil and gas sector in Namibia.
During an exhibition tour at the 2026 Namibian Oil and Gas Conference, the Vice President of Namibia, Her Excellency Mrs. Lucia Witbooi, visited the NCDMB exhibition stand.
She was received by Kikile alongside other officials of the Board.
Kikile used the opportunity to highlight NCDMB’s mandate and activities, including the significance of the NOGICD Act and its impact on Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
He underscored the importance of regional collaboration and knowledge exchange in promoting sustainable growth and greater indigenous participation across Africa’s energy sector.
