Nigeria’s oil and gas industry has recorded significant growth in local participation, with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) announcing that Nigerian content levels have increased to 61 per cent from just five per cent in 2010.

The board said the next phase of development would focus on transforming Nigerian companies from local service providers into globally competitive energy businesses capable of operating across international markets.

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr Felix Ogbe, disclosed the development during the 2026 Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) Energy Conference held in Lagos.

Ogbe, who was represented by the board’s General Manager of Corporate Communications, Dr Obinna Ezeobi, said the country had made major progress in building domestic capacity within the oil and gas sector.

According to him, achieving higher levels of Nigerian participation is no longer enough; local companies must now develop the skills, technology and financial strength required to compete globally.

“The next frontier is about being competitive,” Ogbe said.

He explained that Nigerian firms must move beyond participating only in domestic projects and begin positioning themselves as international players in the energy industry.

NCDMB targets global competitiveness

The NCDMB boss said the board’s current focus was to strengthen indigenous companies through skills development, access to finance, research, equipment manufacturing and partnerships with international companies.

He noted that over the past 15 years, the board had trained more than 10,000 Nigerians in specialised areas required by the oil and gas sector.

He added that another 17,000 Nigerians had registered for training programmes covering 10 priority skills linked to emerging energy projects and new investments.

The training initiatives, he said, were designed to ensure that Nigerians are prepared to benefit from major oil and gas projects reaching Final Investment Decision (FID) stages.

Local manufacturing and technology development

Ogbe said NCDMB was also working to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported equipment by encouraging local manufacturing of oil and gas components.

He explained that the board was supporting Nigerian companies through equipment development programmes, research initiatives and partnerships with foreign firms and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

The objective, he said, was to help indigenous businesses acquire the capacity required to compete within Africa and beyond.

“Nigerian content has moved beyond participation in domestic projects. The focus now is building companies that can compete internationally,” he said.

Industry challenges remain

While recognising the progress made, industry stakeholders said indigenous operators still face significant barriers.

The Chairman of NAEC, Mr Ugo Amadi, said local companies continue to experience difficulties in accessing oil and gas assets.

He identified high entry costs, lengthy regulatory approval processes and limited access to financing as some of the major obstacles affecting indigenous participation.

Amadi said addressing these challenges would encourage investment, increase local ownership and improve production capacity in Nigeria’s energy sector.

The 2026 NAEC Energy Conference, themed “Access to Assets: Empowering Players and Driving Growth,” brought together government officials, regulators, energy companies and industry experts to discuss investment opportunities and challenges affecting Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

 Background: How Nigerian Content Development Started

Nigeria’s push for local participation in petroleum operations grew from concerns that although the country was a major oil producer, much of the economic value from the sector flowed abroad.

Before 2010: foreign companies dominated most technical operations, Nigerian businesses mainly participated in low-value services, billions of dollars spent annually in the sector left the country.

The NOGICD Act introduced mandatory Nigerian content requirements across areas such as: engineering, fabrication, procurement, logistics, manpower development, ownership of oil service companies.

Since then, NCDMB has introduced several programmes including, Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, Project 100 initiative for high-performing indigenous companies, oil and gas industrial parks, skills development programmes.