The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, has called on African oil-producing countries to move beyond ownership of natural resources and focus on building industrial capacity that creates jobs, strengthens local businesses and drives sustainable economic growth.
The Board made the call at the Africa Local Content Programme, held as part of the ongoing Africa Oil Week 2026 in Accra, Ghana, where African governments, regulators, investors and industry stakeholders are exploring strategies to unlock greater value from the continent’s oil and gas resources.
While delivering the opening remarks on behalf of NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Board’s Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, said Africa must leverage its natural resources to build sustainable industries and position indigenous businesses to compete in the global market.
Halilu spoke on the theme, “From Resource Ownership to Industrial Power,” stressing that local content policies should facilitate cross-border utilisation of African capabilities as a pathway to continental industrialisation.
He said an effective local content framework should go beyond ownership to promote research and technology development, local employment, strategic partnerships, ownership and control of assets, supply-chain optimisation, sustainable operations and increased production and utilisation of locally made goods.
According to him, the ultimate measure of local content should be its contribution to economic growth, including increased domestic production, stronger indigenous enterprises and higher contributions to gross domestic product.
The Board said in a statement that the Africa Local Content Programme, themed “Building African Capacity, Competitiveness and Collaboration Across the Upstream Value Chain,” was organised in partnership with the NCDMB, the African Union and the Petroleum Commission Ghana.
At the event, NCDMB officials participated in several strategic sessions addressing investment, technology, financing, workforce development and the creation of regional oil and gas industrial hubs.
The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Ajimijaye Omomehin, participated in discussions on harmonising technology and policy under the Brazzaville Accord, while also contributing to deliberations on building regional oil and gas industrial hubs.
The General Manager, Corporate Communications Division, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, moderated a session on “Market Entry Insights: Unlocking Africa’s Most Compelling Upstream Opportunities,” where Dr. Hailu joined other industry stakeholders to examine strategies for accelerating investment in Africa’s upstream sector.
Participants agreed that strong local content policies could help attract investment and reduce operating costs, but stressed that African oil-producing countries must also provide stable and predictable regulatory environments to boost investor confidence.
Also speaking on “Unlocking Capital for African Content Growth,” Mr. Erefagha Turner, Assistant Manager, Planning, Research and Statistics, highlighted the importance of creating sustainable financing channels for indigenous businesses.
He cited the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund as a model that has supported the expansion of capacities among Nigerian oil and gas service companies.
Similarly, Manager, Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building, Engr. Dokubo Obongo, stressed the need for sustained investment in skills development and human capital to produce a globally competitive African energy workforce.
The discussions underscored access to finance, policy harmonisation, technology development, talent investment and regional collaboration as critical drivers of Africa’s transition from a resource-rich continent to an industrial and economically competitive region.
According NCDMB, its participation reinforces its commitment to promoting local content, strengthening indigenous capacity and deepening regional collaboration towards the development of an integrated and competitive African energy industry.
