DR Congo Team Visits Nigeria to Learn Local Content Strategies

A top team from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), led by Hydrocarbons Minister Simplice Stev Onanga, has come to Nigeria. They are here to learn about the local content framework of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for the oil and gas sector.

Nigeria's Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, welcomed the delegation in Abuja on Monday. He reaffirmed Nigeria's willingness to share knowledge with other African countries, especially through the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO).

Lokpobiri pointed out that Nigeria has reached 61% local content capacity since the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act was passed 16 years ago.

Officials from Nigeria's oil sector met with their counterparts from the DRC in Abuja on Monday. This meeting was part of the Congolese delegation's visit to learn from NCDMB's local content model.

The Minister noted that the sale of onshore oil and gas assets by international oil companies (IOCs) has opened doors for local companies. Firms like Renaissance Africa Energy Company, SEPLAT Energy Producing Unlimited, and Oando Energy Resources Nigeria Limited have stepped in to take over these assets and grow.

"The solution to Africa’s energy challenges lies within Africa," Lokpobiri said. He also mentioned that Nigeria currently produces over 1.8 million barrels of crude oil daily.

While foreign companies still dominate deep offshore operations, Nigerian firms are now in charge of land and shallow water assets. This shift is helping to boost local content growth. Lokpobiri explained that local content projects are funded through a 1% Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) fee on upstream oil and gas contracts. He assured the DRC delegation that Nigeria is ready to share its experiences, passing on greetings from President Bola Tinubu.

Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, was represented by Dr Abdulmalik Halilu, Director of Corporate Services. He expressed the Board's willingness to help the DRC set up a strong local content framework. He highlighted Nigeria's institutional support, regulatory partnerships, and a 10-year plan to achieve 70% in-country value retention and create over 300,000 direct jobs by 2027.

Minister Onanga praised Nigeria's successes, stating it is the only African country to have achieved notable self-sufficiency in oil and gas local content. "We are proud to be in Nigeria to witness what has been accomplished," he said.

The visit will last until Friday. The delegation will tour the NCDMB Headquarters in Bayelsa State, Onne Free Zone fabrication workshops, NLNG supplier sessions, the UniPort Gas Centre, and LADOL/Nigerdock yards, among other activities.