From Our Correspondent
Windhoek, Namibia — For years, African countries have looked within their borders for ways to grow their oil and gas industries. But the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) believes the continent may be leaving a bigger opportunity on the table — by not working closely enough with one another.
The Board is now calling for stronger Pan-African cooperation that would allow African businesses to share skills, technology, expertise and resources while keeping more of the value created by the continent’s oil and gas industry within Africa.
The call was made during a strategic engagement on “African Local Content Opportunities: Pathway to Economic Diversification and Development” in Windhoek, Namibia.
Representing NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu said Africa already possesses considerable capabilities in areas including fabrication, engineering, manufacturing, subsea services, marine operations and project execution.
The challenge, he said, is connecting these capabilities across national borders.
Rather than having companies from individual countries compete separately for major projects, Halilu said African businesses could form partnerships and combine their strengths to win and execute projects across the continent.
He pointed to possible arrangements including prime-subcontractor partnerships, joint ventures, consortium bids and reciprocal market-access agreements.
The idea is simple: a company in Nigeria with particular expertise could work with a company in Namibia, Ghana, Angola or another African country, creating opportunities that neither business might be able to secure alone.
Halilu also drew attention to Nigeria’s experience with local content, noting the transformation that followed the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
He said Nigeria’s experience showed the importance of data, compliance monitoring, supplier development and deliberate investment in local capacity.
But for such progress to spread across Africa, he said governments must also address barriers that make cross-border business difficult.
These include differences in local content regulations, customs procedures, immigration requirements, trade rules and access to financing.
The NCDMB representative advocated the creation of a Pan-African supplier database and an interactive opportunities platform where African companies can showcase their capabilities and find potential partners.
He also urged African countries to make better use of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework to open new markets for indigenous businesses.
“The opportunities available across Africa can only be fully unlocked through deliberate and synchronized efforts,” Halilu said, stressing that policy alignment and practical partnerships would determine whether Pan-African local content becomes a reality.
The discussion also featured NCDMB Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile, who participated in the first panel session on global best practices and strategies for strengthening local participation and maximising in-country value in the oil and gas sector.
Kikile encouraged Namibia to focus on supplier development, skills transfer, enterprise growth and sustainable local content, drawing lessons from the experiences of other oil-producing countries.
The Nigerian presence at the conference received a notable boost when Namibia’s Vice President, Her Excellency Mrs. Lucia Witbooi, visited the NCDMB exhibition stand during the exhibition tour of the 2026 Namibian Oil and Gas Conference.
She was received by Kikile and other NCDMB officials, who presented the Board’s work and explained how the NOGICD Act has helped reshape Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
For NCDMB, the message coming out of Windhoek is bigger than Nigeria and Namibia.
As African countries seek to diversify their economies and develop their emerging energy industries, the Board believes the continent’s greatest advantage may not simply be the resources beneath its soil, but the skills, businesses and people already capable of turning those resources into lasting economic opportunities.
The next step, it says, is getting them to work together.
