Oil & Gas: Nigeria Hosts African Local Content Roundtable

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is set to host the maiden edition of the African Local Content Roundtable in a bid to institutionalise peer review mechanism among African oil-producing countries on local content as a key development imperative for domestication and sustainable growth of Africa’s hydrocarbon resources.

The organisers, in a statement issued on Tuesday, noted that over the years, critical stakeholders in the oil and gas sector in Africa have been fascinated by the remarkable impact and achievements of Nigeria in the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act and the development of its hydrocarbon resources which is anchored on the philosophy of In-Country Value Addition.

It stated that African countries such as Uganda, Ghana, Niger Republic and Congo have at various times undertook a study tour of institutions in Nigeria, to understand the Nigerian Content delivery model, with some of the countries signing their own local content laws or policies based on insights from Nigeria.

It added that the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) charter on bilateral cooperation among African oil-producing countries is also a bold step to galvanise African countries towards regional cooperation in the area of developing capacities and capabilities to deliver oil and gas services within the continent.

“The proposed annual African Local Content Roundtable will herald the creation of a structured engagement platform among African countries to discuss local content and sustainability in hydrocarbon development.

“Promote the conversation among policymakers on the role of local content as a key economic development imperative for African oil-producing countries, lay a solid foundation for the design of an African local content programme and share data on capacities that exist around skills, infrastructure, facilities, assets and funding for exploration, field development and production activities,” it noted.

The event scheduled to hold in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital, will host several dignitaries and policy leaders in the oil and gas, government, development agencies and related sectors connected to the oil and gas sector.

Some of the expected guests will include the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the Secretary-General of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (SG, AfCFTA) and heads of Africa Development Organisations.

The two-day event will be hosted at the Magnificent NCBMB Towers, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, from June 3 to 4, 2021.

According to the organisers, the dates have been strategically picked close to the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS 2021) to manage the logistics of participants who will be attending NIPS 2021 from June 6 to 10, 2021.