Nigeria's key oil and gas industry regulators and operators have developed a unified framework to harmonise how in-country capacities and capabilities are graded.
The development is seen as a huge step in the country's drive to move local content growth beyond mere compliance into manufacturing and global competitiveness.
On Monday, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian Petroleum Exchange (NipeX) and the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), which comprises all international oil companies operating in Nigeria jointly developed the framework.
NCDMB Executive Secretary, Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe disclosed in Abuja at the 25th edition of Nigeria Oil and Gas Week.
Ogbe, represented by the Director of Capacity Building, Engr Abayomi Bamidele, said the next action under the Harmonisation Road Map was to begin modifying the regulatory agencies' various certification portals in preparation for joint industry capacity audits of in-country manufacturers and service providers.
The audits, expected to commence in the third quarter of this year, would provide a detailed picture of existing capabilities, eliminate intermediaries, cut contracting timelines and ensure direct patronage of established service providers.
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The framework classifies service providers into five categories, with Class 4 and Class 5 tagged "Emerging Players" and "Essential Vendors" respectively, forming the foundation of a vendor development programme designed to help new entrants evolve into manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers.
Ogbe said the first 15 years of implementing the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD Act) of 2010 had already delivered a remarkable transformation, lifting indigenous participation from below five per cent to 61 per cent, with Nigerians now owning and managing critical operational assets across the oil and gas value chain.
The next phase, he said, must be driven by three strategic priorities: competence through investment in human capital and technology transfer; capacity expansion through manufacturing and industrialisation; and collaboration among operators, service companies, government agencies, financial institutions and research institutions.
He acknowledged that many local manufacturers continued to face difficulties around limited market access, technology gaps and financing constraints, stressing that addressing those challenges required strategic collaboration across the entire regulatory and business ecosystem.
On recent capacity building initiatives, Ogbe listed the release of the Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate (NCEC) Application Guidance Notes, the Field Readiness Training Programme focusing on the ten highest-demand areas, the Nigerian Content Trainers Registration Certificate (NOGICD), the Back-to-the-Creek Initiative and the Cradle-to-Career Academic Excellence Recognition and Advancement Programme.
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