By George OPARA
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has called on operators and service companies in the offshore oil and gas sector to deepen the funding for domestic manufacturing, research and development.
Spear News Nigeria gathered that the call followed Nigeria’s need to retain more value from its petroleum industry.
The Board disclosed that Nigeria had recorded significant progress in engineering and fabrication under the country’s local content regime, explaining that the next phase of growth must focus on closing gaps in manufacturing, technology development and research capacity.
NCDMB said this at the OWI West Africa 2026 Conference, West Africa’s leading offshore well intervention forum, held in Lagos.
The Board was represented by its Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Silas Omomehin Ajimijaye, who served as a panellist during a session titled, “Local Capability, Leadership and New Delivery Models, and Execution in West Africa.”
At the session, Ajimijaye said Nigeria must move beyond participation in the oil and gas sector to building the capacity to lead in critical areas of the industry.
In his words, “Nigeria is no longer content merely to participate in the oil and gas industry; we are building the capacity to lead it.
“We have reached around 80 per cent local content in engineering and fabrication, and our focus now is on closing the manufacturing and research gap so that more value is retained in the country.”
He explained that NCDMB’s policy direction is anchored on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010, as well as Executive Orders and Presidential Directives issued in 2024 to reduce contracting costs, shorten project timelines and strengthen local content compliance.
He further highlighted that manufacturing and research remain critical to achieving the Board’s target of 70 per cent local content retention by the end of 2027.
Also, Ajimijaye added that much of the manufacturing activity currently taking place in the country still revolves around assembly, noting that the industry must move toward deeper value creation through local production, innovation and research-driven solutions.
“Local content is a partnership, not a barrier.
“We are asking the industry to build genuine capability with us, to invest in local research and development, and to engage the Board early so that Nigerian content is designed into every project from the start.”
Further, the NCDMB director highlighted that the Board’s investments in human capacity development, including training programmes delivered in partnership with operators such as Renaissance Africa Energy and Seplat Energy.
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