The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has urged African countries seeking sustainable growth in the energy sector to transition from merely consuming innovation to actively creating it.
The call was made by the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, during his keynote address at the 2026 Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) held in Abuja on Monday.
Ogbe, who was represented by the Board’s Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, spoke on the summit’s theme, “Local Content Beyond Compliance: Building African Industrial Powerhouses.” He stressed that Africa’s industrial future depends on three critical pillars: competence, capacity utilisation and collaboration.
According to him, Africa must develop a strategic and indigenous supply chain capable of delivering service excellence without compromising global standards.
“The NCDMB’s compliance trajectory has been to develop regulations, systems and processes that enable indigenous technologies, strengthen domestic manufacturing, foster research and innovation, and build a resilient, globally competitive supply chain,” Ogbe said.
He cited Nigeria’s cable manufacturers that supplied about two million metres of cables to the Nigeria LNG Train 7 project, noting that the same companies now have capacity to export quality cables to other African markets, including Cameroon, Angola, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria.
Ogbe revealed that through the Oil and Gas Field Readiness Training Programme, over 10,000 Nigerian youths are currently being trained in high-demand skills such as geosciences, subsea engineering, QA/QC, marine operations, automation and controls, underwater welding and drilling engineering.
He added that the African Energy Bank has become a reality, with its office handed over to the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), describing it as a major boost to access affordable project financing for African energy companies.
Commending the Executive Orders on local content and the “Nigeria First” policy introduced under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ogbe said the measures were designed to boost local capacity, attract investment in gas and deepwater projects, and accelerate contract execution.
He noted that NCDMB has also revised its guidelines to reduce contracting timelines, remove non-value-adding intermediaries and maximise in-country value retention.
“For Africa to become an industrial powerhouse, we must embrace talent development, research and development, modern manufacturing capabilities and cross-border trade,” he said, adding that the continent must evolve from local participation to local mastery.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, commended President Tinubu’s commitment to economic reforms, energy security and industrialisation, describing them as the backbone of Nigeria’s gas-led development agenda.
Ekpo said natural gas remains central to Africa’s energy security, industrialisation and economic resilience, stressing that gas offers the most immediate and inclusive pathway to diversification, job creation and shared prosperity.
He noted that while local content implementation has improved participation through compliance, it has not yet delivered global competitiveness or advanced technological capability at scale.
“Performance-driven local content demands a new compact,” Ekpo said. “Government must provide stable policies, industry operators must embed local capacity into project design, financial institutions must de-risk indigenous projects, and training institutions must align skills with modern industry needs.”
He warned that the decisions taken at the summit would determine whether Africa remains a supplier of raw energy resources or emerges as a global leader in gas-based industrial development.
By Emmanuel Addeh, Peter Uzoho and Blessing Ibunge, Abuja
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