The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has commenced a study tour of Nigeria’s local content framework as part of efforts to strengthen indigenous participation in its oil and gas industry.
The delegation, led by DRC Minister of Hydrocarbons Simplice Stev Onanga, arrived in Nigeria to study the policies, institutions and strategies that have helped deepen local participation in the country’s petroleum sector.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Dr Obinna Ezeobi, the delegation was received in Abuja on Monday by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.
Lokpobiri said Nigeria was willing to share its experience with other African oil-producing countries, noting that the country had achieved 61 per cent local content capacity since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 16 years ago.
He attributed the growth to deliberate government policies, strong regulatory institutions and increased participation by indigenous companies in oil and gas operations.
The minister also said the divestment of onshore assets by international oil companies had created opportunities for Nigerian firms, including Renaissance Africa Energy Company, Seplat Energy and Oando Energy Resources, to acquire and operate petroleum assets.
“The solution to Africa’s energy challenges lies within Africa,” Lokpobiri said.
He added that Nigeria was currently producing more than 1.8 million barrels of crude oil per day, noting that indigenous operators had increasingly taken control of land and shallow-water assets.
Lokpobiri explained that the Nigerian Content Development Fund is financed through a one per cent levy on awarded upstream oil and gas contracts, describing it as an industry-funded mechanism for developing local capacity.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Director of Corporate Services, Dr Abdulmalik Halilu, said the board was ready to support the DRC in developing a sustainable local content regime.
Halilu said Nigeria’s local content framework was underpinned by institutional structures, regulatory collaboration and strategic planning.
He added that the NCDMB’s 10-year strategic roadmap targets 70 per cent in-country value retention and more than 300,000 direct jobs by 2027.
Onanga said the DRC delegation was in Nigeria to learn from the country’s experience and adapt relevant aspects of its local content framework to the DRC’s petroleum industry.
“We are proud to be in Nigeria to witness what has been accomplished,” the DRC minister said.
