By Ali Elias
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Nigeria’s presence at the 2025 African Energy Week gained momentum on Tuesday as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) and Chairman of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Governing Council, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, visited the Board’s exhibition booth at the Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC).
The Minister was received by Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager of Corporate Communications at NCDMB, who briefed him on the Board’s ongoing initiatives and strategic focus areas. Other senior officials on hand included Mr. Uchendu Ossaowa Andrew, Director of Finance and Personnel Management; Dr. Ama Ikuru, Director of the Nigerian Content Academy; Mr. Silas Omomehin Ajimijaye, General Manager Monitoring and Evaluation; Ms. Fateemah Mohammed, General Manager of the Nigerian Content Development Fund; Olubisi Okunola, Manager Strategy; and Mrs. Oyiza Lambert, Supervisor Events.
The visit also featured an exchange of pleasantries between Senator Lokpobiri and the immediate past Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, who was among the dignitaries at the booth.
Earlier in the day, Lokpobiri had delivered a keynote address on behalf of Nigeria at the official opening of the Energy Week, before participating in a high-level panel session alongside OPEC Ministers and the OPEC Secretary-General, HE Haitham Al Ghais.
Throughout the day, the NCDMB booth attracted a steady flow of international oil and gas stakeholders who engaged Board officials on a wide range of industry issues, from local content to financing and innovation.
The four-day conference will continue to highlight Nigeria’s evolving role in Africa’s energy transition. On Wednesday, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, delivered a keynote address titled “From Policy to Prosperity: Scaling Local Content for Africa’s Energy Future.” The session underlined Nigeria’s model of leveraging local participation to strengthen capacity, create jobs, and build resilience in the oil and gas sector.
Also scheduled for Wednesday, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, NCDMB’s Director of Corporate Services, who spoke on a panel themed “Driving Local Value and Maximizing Stakeholder Returns.”
On Thursday, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) and Alternate Chairman of NCDMB’s Governing Council, Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, is billed to deliver a presentation on “Accelerating Natural Gas Development and Investment Opportunities in Nigeria.”
With Nigeria’s energy policy direction increasingly focused on local value creation, the NCDMB delegation is using the platform in Cape Town to showcase the country’s successes in local content development, capacity building, and financing initiatives that can serve as a model for other African countries.
As the African Energy Week progresses, attention will be on how Nigeria’s proposals — from scaling local content to unlocking gas opportunities — can attract new partnerships, drive sustainable investments, and position Africa as a key player in the global energy transition.