Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has declared that the solution to Africa’s energy challenges lies within the continent.
Lokpobiri made this declaration in Abuja, when he received a high-level delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo DRC.
The delegation, led by the Minister of Hydrocarbons, His Excellency, Simplice Stev Onanga, arrived Nigeria to understudy the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s acclaimed local content framework for the oil and gas industry.
The minister of state for petroleum resources (oil) reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to knowledge-sharing with fellow African nations, particularly under the platform of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO).
Lokpobiri highlighted that Nigeria has achieved 61% local content capacity since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 16 years ago.
He noted that the divestment of onshore oil and gas assets by international oil companies (IOCs) has created opportunities for indigenous firms such as Renaissance Africa Energy Company, SEPLAT Energy Producing Unlimited and Oando Energy Resources Nigeria Limited to acquire the divested assets and thrive.
His words; “The solution to Africa’s energy challenges lies within Africa. Nigeria currently produces over 1.8 million barrels of crude oil per day.
“While deep offshore operations remain dominated by foreign companies, Nigerian oil and gas operating and service firms now control land and shallow water assets, driving local content growth.
“Local content initiatives are industry-funded through a 1% Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) levy on awarded upstream oil and gas contracts.”
Lokpobiri assured the DRC delegation that Nigeria would share its experiences openly, even as he conveyed greetings from the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On his part, the NCDMB Executive Secretary, Mr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, expressed the Board’s readiness to support the DRC in establishing a robust local content framework.
Ogbe who was represented by Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, pointed to Nigeria’s institutional structures, regulatory synergy, and a 10-year strategic roadmap aimed at achieving 70% in-country value retention and creating over 300,000 direct jobs by 2027.
In his response, the leader of the delegation, Onanga praised Nigeria’s achievements, noting that it is the only African country to have attained significant self-sufficiency in oil and gas local content.
“We are proud to be in Nigeria to witness what has been accomplished.”
Meanwhile, the understudy visit will continue till Friday and will include tours to the NCDMB Headquarters at Bayelsa State, Onne Free Zone fabrication workshops, NLNG supplier session and UniPort Gas Centre as well as LADOL/Nigerdock yards and other key engagements.
