NCDMB hosts Ghana National Oil Coy on local content benchmarking study

A delegation from Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) visited the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for a knowledge-sharing and local content benchmarking study. The week-long tour focused on understanding NCDMB's established practices in policy frameworks and implementation strategies for developing local content within the oil and gas industry.

“

Africa has evolved over the last three to four decades, growing its hydrocarbon resources to over 120 billion barrels of crude oil reserves and 800 trillion standard cubic feet of gas, which constitute over 10 per cent of hydrocarbon resources globally.

Led by GNPC's Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Eric Pwadura, the delegation was welcomed by NCDMB's Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe. Ogbe emphasized Africa's vast hydrocarbon reserves, estimated at over 120 billion barrels of crude oil and 800 trillion standard cubic feet of gas, representing more than 10 percent of global resources. He stressed that for producing nations, prioritizing local content development is crucial to reduce reliance on foreign technology in exploration, field development, and production activities.

Represented by Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, Director of Corporate Services, NCDMB officials underscored the potential of crude oil as a catalyst for economic transformation. They highlighted Africa's large youth population as a key asset, emphasizing the need to equip this demographic with the requisite skills for industry operations. Nigeria's journey in local content, which evolved from policy directives within the defunct NNPC to the establishment of the NCDMB as a dedicated institution, was presented as a model.

“

As a hydrocarbon resource continent, it is in the national interest of the producing countries to prioritise local content development, paying particular attention to the necessity of reversing the trend of dependency on foreign technology for exploration, field development and production activities.

Engr. Ogbe detailed the NCDMB's Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap, which encompasses five strategic pillars: Technical Capability Development, Compliance and Enforcement, Enabling Business Environment, Organizational Capability, and Sectoral and Regional Markets. These are supported by five enablers: Funding, Regulatory Environment, Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement, and Research and Development. Strategies for capacity building include the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund), managed through development finance institutions like the Bank of Industry and Nigerian Export-Import Bank.

“

We have evolved from a policy to an institution. NCDMB is the sole agency responsible for local content in Nigeria.