The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has urged indigenous oil and gas companies to strengthen their capacity and competitiveness to expand their presence in the global energy market.

The Board identified access to oil and gas assets, financing, technology and markets as critical factors for sustainable growth and increased participation of Nigerian companies in the energy sector.

The General Manager, Corporate Communications Division of NCDMB, Dr Obinna Ezeobi, made the call while representing the Board at the 2026 Energy Conference of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC), held on October 8 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.

The conference was themed, “Access to Assets: Empowering Players and Driving Growth.”

Ezeobi said the theme aligned with the objectives of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, which seeks to create opportunities for Nigerians to participate meaningfully and excel in the oil and gas industry.

He explained that the Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap, launched in 2017, was built around five core pillars and four enabling factors, with the target of increasing Nigerian content participation to 70 per cent by 2027.

According to him, the roadmap also seeks to improve skilled Nigerian professionals’ access to critical industry assets while building the capacity of indigenous operating and service companies to compete effectively.

Highlighting the Board’s interventions to support local businesses, Ezeobi identified the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund) as one of its flagship programmes.

He disclosed that more than 130 indigenous companies had accessed over $400 million through the fund, which is domiciled with the Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank.

He also cited Project 100, an initiative designed to support high-potential Nigerian companies through capacity development, market access, financial linkages and tailored business support.

Other interventions include the Nigerian Content Equipment Certification (NCEC), the Nigerian Oil and Gas Parks Scheme (NOGaPS) and vendor development programmes aimed at deepening local participation and improving the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses.

The NCDMB spokesman added that the Board was facilitating partnerships between Nigerian and foreign companies while encouraging regional collaboration to help indigenous firms expand into international markets.

He noted that Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry had increased from five per cent in 2010 to 61 per cent, describing the progress as a significant milestone in the 16 years of implementing the Nigerian Content Act.

However, he stressed that the next phase of development must prioritise equipping indigenous companies with the technical skills, technology and business systems needed to compete globally.

In his welcome address, NAEC Chairman, Ugo Amadi, called for greater opportunities for indigenous companies to acquire and develop oil and gas assets.

Amadi identified high entry costs, funding constraints and lengthy approval processes as major obstacles limiting local companies’ access to assets and expansion opportunities.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Engr. Wole Ogunsanya, advocated consolidation and stronger collaboration among indigenous oilfield service companies.

He said closer collaboration would enable local firms to pool their technical capabilities and undertake larger projects within the oil and gas industry.

The Conference Chairman and Group Managing Director of Sahara Power Enterprise Group, Kola Adesina, represented by the company’s Head of Corporate Communications, Bethel Obioma, said access should go beyond asset ownership to encompass capital, partnerships, markets, technology and business opportunities.

Adesina observed that access was broader and more significant than physical assets, explaining that transformational growth often began with access to ideas, mentors, capital and strategic partnerships.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, represented by his Senior Technical Adviser, Engr. Abel Nsa, said Nigeria must move beyond ownership of its abundant gas resources to focus on their development, financing and conversion into sustainable economic value.

He explained that the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas initiative was designed to transform Nigeria’s gas resources into drivers of industrialisation, power generation, transportation, manufacturing, fertiliser production and wider adoption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

According to him, effectively harnessing the country’s gas resources for productive economic activities would promote industrial growth and strengthen national development.