NCDMB Pushes Pan-African Local Content Alliance For Stronger Oil, Gas Industry
Africa’s oil and gas wealth could deliver greater economic benefits if countries move beyond operating within their individual markets and begin sharing skills, businesses and industrial capacity.
That was the message from the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) at the 2026 Namibian Oil and Gas Conference (NOGC), where Nigeria called for stronger cross-border collaboration to drive industrial development and economic diversification across the continent.
Representing NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Dr Abdulmalik Halilu said African countries must leverage existing capabilities and harmonise local content policies to retain more value within the continent.
Speaking on “African Local Content Opportunities: Pathway to Economic Diversification and Development,” Halilu pointed to capabilities already available across Africa in fabrication, engineering, manufacturing, subsea services, marine operations and project execution.
He said Nigeria’s experience under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act showed how data systems, compliance monitoring, supplier development and strategic investment could strengthen local participation and industry competitiveness.
According to him, African companies could expand their participation in major energy projects through prime-subcontractor arrangements, joint ventures, consortium bids and reciprocal market-access agreements.
He also called for regulatory harmonisation, easier trade and customs processes, immigration reforms and sustainable financing, alongside a proposed Pan-African supplier database and opportunities platform to connect businesses with projects across the continent.
Halilu said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could provide a framework for indigenous companies to compete and collaborate more effectively across national borders.
At the conference, NCDMB’s Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Esueme Dan Kikile, also shared perspectives on global best practices and strategies for strengthening local participation and in-country value in the oil and gas industry.
The conference also provided a diplomatic moment when Namibia’s Vice President, Mrs Lucia Witbooi, visited the NCDMB exhibition stand, where Kikile presented the Board’s mandate and the impact of the NOGICD Act on Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
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