Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (right), presenting Nigerian Content publications to the Minister of Hydrocarbons, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), His Excellency Simplice Stev Onanga, during a courtesy call to welcome the Congolese delegation that arrived in Nigeria to understudy the NCDMB’s local content framework.
By Peace Udugba — The Daily Torch Media
A high-level delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), led by the Minister of Hydrocarbons, His Excellency Simplice Stev Onanga, has arrived in Nigeria to understudy the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s (NCDMB) local content framework for the oil and gas industry.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, received the delegation in Abuja on Monday and reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to sharing its local content experience with other African countries, particularly through the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO).
Lokpobiri said Nigeria has achieved 61 per cent local content capacity since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 16 years ago.
He said the divestment of onshore oil and gas assets by international oil companies (IOCs) had created opportunities for indigenous companies, including Renaissance Africa Energy Company, Seplat Energy and Oando Energy Resources Nigeria Limited, to acquire and operate the assets.
“The solution to Africa’s energy challenges lies within Africa,” Lokpobiri said.
The minister added that Nigeria currently produces more than 1.8 million barrels of crude oil per day.
According to him, although deep offshore operations remain largely dominated by foreign companies, Nigerian oil and gas operating and service companies have increasingly taken control of land and shallow-water assets, contributing to the growth of local content in the industry.
Top officials of Nigeria’s petroleum industry and their counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Abuja on Monday during a courtesy call by the Congolese delegation, which visited Nigeria to understudy the NCDMB’s local content framework.
Lokpobiri explained that local content initiatives are funded by the industry through the one per cent Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) levy imposed on awarded upstream oil and gas contracts.
He assured the DRC delegation that Nigeria was prepared to openly share its experiences and conveyed the greetings of President Bola Tinubu.
NCDMB pledges support for DRC
The NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, said the Board was ready to support the DRC in developing a robust local content framework.
Halilu highlighted Nigeria’s institutional structures, regulatory coordination and strategic planning as key components of the country’s local content development model.
He said the NCDMB’s 10-year strategic roadmap is aimed at achieving 70 per cent in-country value retention and creating more than 300,000 direct jobs by 2027.
DRC minister commends Nigeria
Onanga praised Nigeria’s achievements in local content development and said the DRC delegation was in the country to learn from Nigeria’s experience.
“We are proud to be in Nigeria to witness what has been accomplished,” he said.
The study tour will continue until Friday and will feature visits and engagements at several key oil and gas facilities.
The delegation is expected to visit the NCDMB headquarters in Bayelsa State, fabrication workshops at the Onne Free Zone, an NLNG supplier session and the University of Port Harcourt (UniPort) Gas Centre.
The programme will also include visits to the LADOL/Nigerdock yards and other strategic facilities as the DRC delegation examines Nigeria’s approach to developing indigenous capacity and retaining greater value within the oil and gas industry.
