African leaders have called on Nigeria to create a cross-border policy alignment to allow for more knowledge sharing to enable them achieve their goals in local content development.
Specifically, Ghana and other African nations have underscored the growing influence of Nigeria’s local content framework and urged stronger cross-border policy alignment.
They spoke at the just -concluded NOG Energy Week in Abuja, just as other indigenous oil companies lauded the initiative that has created more jobs in the country.
Ghana’s deputy chief executive of the Petroleum Commission, Nasir Alfa Mohamed, noted that African nations have long looked to Nigeria for energy sector leadership. He called for dismantling barriers to regional integration and advocated for standardised regulations.
“A Ghanaian company should be able to compete for contracts in Nigeria based solely on merit,” Mohamed said. “We need joint regulatory bodies, mutual recognition of standards, and robust support for platforms like the African Oil Forum.”
Mohamed also highlighted Ghana’s growing partnerships with Nigeria and others, including a memorandum of understanding with Uganda.
He noted that Ghana is currently the only African nation participating in the International Upstream Forum.
At the NOG Energy Week in Abuja, industry leaders robustly defended Nigeria’s local content policy, rejecting claims that it inflates business costs in the oil and gas sector.
They cautioned that such criticisms jeopardise the nation’s industrial progress and lauded the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for its pivotal role in building indigenous capacity and fostering innovation.
During a panel session titled “Technology as a Business Strategy”, panellists championed NCDMB’s contributions, emphasising its success in driving local expertise and technological advancement.
Group chief executive officer of Pana Holdings, Dr. Daere Akobo, dismissed critiques of local content as arguing that its benefits to Nigeria’s economy far outweigh any perceived cost increases.
“Claims that local content drives up costs are misguided,” Akobo said. “How can you prioritise cost over GDP growth? Where will our youth find jobs? Undermining local content for short-term gains is a mistake. Nigeria must stay the course.”
On his part, managing director of Coleman Cables and Wires, George Onafowokan, commended NCDMB’s data-driven approach, crediting it for significant strides in local content development.
“Data is the backbone of growth,” Onafowokan said. “Effective data collection and accessibility are vital. Thanks to NCDMB, we’ve achieved 52 per cent local content—a remarkable milestone.”
NCDMB’s pioneer executive secretary, Dr. Ernest Nwapa, highlighted the Nigerian oil and gas sector’s resurgence, driven by increased production, deregulation, and improved governance. He emphasized the need for long-term sustainability to sustain this momentum.
“Africa is a cornerstone of Nigeria’s foreign policy,” Nwapa said, pointing to initiatives like the West African and African Gas Pipelines, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Nigeria First, Africa Next” strategy as evidence of Nigeria’s continental commitment.
Chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, represented by Prof. Zainab Gobir, stressed the importance of joint infrastructure, uniform tariffs, and coordinated regulations for true economic integration.
The chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Gbenga Komolafe,, reaffirmed Nigeria’s strategic role in regional energy cooperation, noting that the country accounts for nearly 30 per cent of Africa’s oil reserves and 33 per cent of its gas.
Komolafe also praised President Tinubu’s recent Executive Order, which enhances local content laws by prioritizing human capacity development, boosting investor confidence.
“International oil companies now recognise Nigeria’s robust local expertise, making it a key investment draw,” he said. “We’re exporting our local content model to other African nations.”
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