NCDMB Engages 100 Chinese OEMs, Pushes Local Manufacturing and Technology Transfer
By Pan Afric Reporters
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has intensified efforts to attract Chinese investment, manufacturing capacity and technology into Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, engaging more than 100 Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in Chengdu, China.
The development was contained in a press release issued by NCDMB’s General Manager, Corporate Communications Division, Dr Obinna Ezeobi, on September 22, 2026, following the Board’s participation in the 15th China Shale Oil and Gas Summit in Chengdu.
The engagement, according to the Board, is aimed at shifting Nigeria-China oil and gas relations beyond the conventional buyer-seller model towards local manufacturing, technology transfer, investment and the integration of Nigerian businesses into global supply chains.
Representing NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Director, Project Certification and Authorization Division and Senior Technical Adviser to the Executive Secretary, Engr. Austin Uzoka, told the summit that Nigeria wanted Chinese manufacturers to view the country as an investment and industrial production destination rather than merely a market for imported equipment.
“We are looking beyond the traditional buyer-seller relationship. What can we build together?” Uzoka said, urging Chinese companies to see Nigeria “as a strategic investment destination, a platform for manufacturing and technology development, and a gateway to opportunities across the wider African market.”
He said the Nigerian Oil and Gas Content Development (NOGICD) Act provides a framework for supporting oil and gas equipment manufacturing facilities established in Nigeria, with access to industry patronage and potential markets across the Gulf of Guinea.
Uzoka also highlighted the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park Scheme (NOGaPS) as an industrial platform capable of supporting manufacturing, equipment assembly and service operations, while creating opportunities for technology transfer and the integration of Nigerian companies into the supply chains of international manufacturers.
“China has developed tremendous capabilities in manufacturing, engineering, technology and energy infrastructure. We want to explore how those capabilities can be connected with the opportunities that exist in Nigeria, for mutual benefits,” he said.
The NCDMB representative said Nigeria’s local content policy had evolved considerably since the enactment of the Local Content Law in 2010, moving beyond Nigerian participation in oil and gas projects towards broader industrial development.
“What began primarily as an effort to increase Nigerian participation in the oil and gas industry has developed into a broader industrial development agenda focused on building capabilities, deepening manufacturing, promoting technology ownership and positioning Nigerian businesses to compete within regional and global markets,” Uzoka said.
The second day of the summit featured a Board-organised Business-to-Business session involving more than 100 Chinese equipment manufacturers and Nigerian oil and gas stakeholders, with discussions focused on local manufacturing, investment, supply-chain integration, technology development and market access.
Participants included representatives of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Project 100 and Renaissance African Energy Company, with Nigerian firms given an opportunity to showcase their capabilities and explore potential partnerships with Chinese manufacturers.
According to NCDMB, the engagement generated interest among several Chinese OEMs seeking to explore business relationships with Nigerian companies, local production and technical cooperation within Nigeria’s expanding oil and gas manufacturing ecosystem.
In her closing remarks, NCDMB General Manager, Midstream, PCAD, Ms Lekoma Phimia, urged participants to convert the connections established during the engagement into “commercially viable and sustainable business relationships.”
The Board also used its exhibition stand at the summit to provide investors and industry stakeholders with information on Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, local content opportunities and avenues for establishing manufacturing and other business operations in the country.
NCDMB said the Chengdu engagement formed part of its broader effort to expand Nigeria’s international industrial partnerships and advance the objectives of the NOGICD Act.
The Board said its ultimate objective was to move Nigeria’s local content agenda beyond participation in the petroleum industry towards domestic capability, manufacturing, technology ownership and stronger regional competitiveness.
