NCDMB, DANGOTE PUSH BEYOND COMPLIANCE TO BOOST NIGERIAN CONTENT, INDUSTRIAL GROWTH

By Pan Afric Reporters

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Dangote Group have called for a shift from regulatory compliance to sustainable local industrial development, identifying technology, affordable financing, indigenous expertise and stronger supply chains as critical to expanding Nigerian participation in the oil and gas industry.

The call was contained in a press release issued by the NCDMB’s General Manager, Corporate Communications Division, Obinna Ezeobi, PhD, following the strategic retreat of the NCDMB/Dangote Joint Technical Committee (JTC), held in Lagos on Friday, October 16, 2026, under the theme, “Beyond Compliance: Partnering for Sustainable Nigerian Content Development.”

In his keynote address, NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Senior Technical Adviser and Director of Project Certification and Authorisation, Engr. Austin Uzoka, identified commitment, technology and financing as the three fundamental pillars for building a resilient Nigerian content ecosystem.

Ogbe challenged industry stakeholders to look beyond meeting statutory requirements and focus on sustaining major industrial investments, strengthening local supply chains and ensuring that the economic benefits of infrastructure development remain within Nigeria.

Using the Dangote Refinery as an example, he stressed that constructing world-class industrial facilities must go hand in hand with developing indigenous capabilities to operate, maintain and sustain them.

He warned that without reliable domestic supply chains and adequate technical expertise, Nigeria could continue to lose significant economic value to external service providers, despite its growing industrial investments.

The NCDMB chief also identified high interest rates and delays in accessing finance as major obstacles confronting indigenous businesses, noting that such constraints limit their ability to execute projects, expand operations and compete effectively across the oil and gas value chain.

He urged industry players to support emerging Nigerian investors seeking to establish refineries and related facilities, arguing that a stronger domestic refining sector would help position the country as a major oil and gas hub.

In his presentation, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics and Chairman of the Joint Technical Committee, Mr. Omomehin Ajimijaye, urged contractors, vendors and service providers operating within the Dangote business ecosystem to comply with Nigerian content requirements and register on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS).

Ajimijaye identified Nigerian content planning, workforce localisation, local procurement and capacity development as the four key compliance pillars, stressing that companies must prioritise qualified Nigerians, procure locally available goods and services, and invest in skills development and technology transfer.

He explained that expatriate personnel could be engaged where genuine skills gaps existed, but companies were expected to work with the Board to establish those gaps and develop succession plans that would progressively prepare Nigerians to take over such positions.

Highlighting the impact of Nigerian content initiatives, Ajimijaye disclosed that interventions had retained more than $10 billion in the Nigerian economy, generated over 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, and supported more than 50 million man-hours of training.

However, he said in-country value retention remained at approximately 61 per cent, below the 70 per cent target, and called for stronger collaboration among regulators, operators and service providers to close the gap.

Welcoming participants, Dangote Group’s Group Vice President, Dr. Edwin Devakumar, called for a change in attitude towards local content, insisting that legislation alone could not deliver sustainable results without genuine commitment from businesses and individuals.

“For sustainable Nigerian content development to succeed, it must not be seen as a regulatory burden. Every individual must regard it as something they genuinely want to do from the bottom of their heart,” Devakumar said.

He added that local content must extend beyond sourcing raw materials to include skills transfer, workforce development and the growth of indigenous contractors into companies capable of handling increasingly complex projects.

Also speaking, NCDMB Director of Legal Services, Dr. Naboth Onyesoh, called for stronger coordination among government regulatory agencies to improve the business environment, eliminate unnecessary duplication and promote indigenous participation.

Onyesoh maintained that investment incentives offered within free zones did not exempt operators from applicable federal laws, noting that petroleum businesses remained subject to the relevant statutory requirements of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the NCDMB, depending on their activities.

“An incentive regime is a business advantage; it is not a regulatory exception,” he said.

He reaffirmed the importance of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, in promoting indigenous participation, technology transfer, employment and domestic value retention.

Onyesoh also highlighted the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund’s support for indigenous maritime businesses, including assistance for vessel acquisition and operational expansion. He disclosed that the Nigerian Content Fund was partnering with Nigeria LNG Limited on a shipyard project at Snake Island to strengthen domestic industrial capacity.

Earlier, the Alternate Chairperson of the NCDMB/Dangote Joint Technical Committee, Dr. Ebele Oputa, described the retreat as a gathering of stakeholders united by a common objective of placing Nigerians at the centre of industrial development.

She commended participating government agencies and praised Dangote Group for its investment in local capacity development and young Nigerians.

The retreat underscored the need for sustained collaboration between government institutions and private-sector operators to translate Nigerian content policies into stronger local businesses, skilled employment, technological innovation and long-term industrial growth.