The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has called on African nations to make local content policies and implementation the foundation of their energy future, in order to effectively transform abundant hydrocarbon resources into economic prosperity for their citizens.
Ogbe gave the charge on Tuesday during the 4th African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) Conference and Exhibition on Local Content in Brazzaville, Congo. The conference, attended by stakeholders from across the continent, focused on advancing local content practices to unlock Africa’s energy potential.
Leading Nigeria’s delegation, Ogbe also represented the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, at APPO’s statutory ministerial council meeting, which saw the election of a new Secretary General.
A statement issued by Dr Obinna Ezeobi,
GM Corporate Communications explained that highlighting Africa’s vast hydrocarbon reserves—over 125 billion barrels of crude oil and 620 trillion cubic feet of natural gas—Ogbe noted that true value can only be derived through local content strategies that strengthen national capacity, retain wealth, and create jobs.
He pointed to Nigeria’s own success over the past 15 years as clear evidence of how intentional local content policies can drive industrialization and long-term economic transformation. Ogbe stressed that local content is not a regulatory checkbox, but a developmental tool tailored to Africa’s needs.
Underscoring NCDMB’s support for regional knowledge-sharing, he said the Board is committed to helping other African countries adopt proven local content frameworks and technology systems, including the NOGIC Joint Qualification System (NOGIC JQS). These, he added, have served as bedrocks for successful monitoring and implementation in Nigeria.
Ogbe also advocated for the creation of an African Energy Services Network, proposing it as a platform for collaboration on fabrication, engineering, and manufacturing, leveraging regional strengths to boost value retention within the continent’s oil and gas industry.
He commended the establishment of the African Energy Bank—spearheaded by APPO and Afreximbank—assuring that NCDMB will provide technical expertise to support its project financing efforts, and called for broad-based support to strengthen its impact.
Referencing Nigeria’s infrastructure achievements, Ogbe cited the Egina FPSO Integration Yard in Lagos, the first of its kind in Africa, and NCDMB’s oil and gas parks in Bayelsa and Cross River as proof of Nigeria’s capacity-building strides. He also highlighted the agency’s Centre for Research and Development, which is designed to drive innovation and produce home-grown African solutions.
Ogbe further revealed that NCDMB has trained over 20,000 Nigerians in specialized oil and gas competences as part of its human capital development initiatives—an effort he said could be replicated across the continent.
Apart from Ogbe’s keynote, other NCDMB officials took part in panel discussions, presenting Nigeria’s local content success stories and receiving commendations from several countries in attendance.
