Energy

Reported by Ali Elias The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has called for accelerated implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) within the oil and gas sector, declaring that deeper intra-African trade, industrial capacity integration and technology collaboration are essential to unlocking the continent’s energy future. This position formed the thrust of the keynote address delivered on behalf of the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, by Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, Director of Corporate Services and Logistics, at the Nigerian Content AfCFTA Energy Summit held at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. The summit, organised by NCDMB in partnership with Hydrodive, RusselSmith, and other industry stakeholders, convened poli...

By Rareview Energy DeskAbuja The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening indigenous capacity and sustaining value retention in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector at the NIES 2026 Gala Dinner and Energy Excellence Awards Night in Abuja.The event, sponsored by NCDMB, brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, international oil companies and indigenous operators.Delivering the sponsors’ remarks, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, NCDMB, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, described local content development as a strategic pillar for economic resilience, job creation and industrial growth.He noted that NCDMB’s interventions have helped elevate Nigerian companies from peripheral service roles to core contributors in e...

By Rareview Energy DeskAbuja The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Engr. Bashir Ojulari, on Tuesday led a high-powered delegation of key stakeholders in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry on a tour of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) exhibition stand at the ongoing Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) 2026 in Abuja.The delegation was received by the General Manager, Corporate Communications, NCDMB, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, who briefed the NNPC GCEO on the Board’s milestones in deepening indigenous participation across the oil and gas value chain.Dr. Ezeobi disclosed that Nigerian Content performance has grown to approximately 61 per cent, reflecting sustained regulatory enforcement, targeted capacity development and growing confidence in local expertise...

2nd Right: Barr. Dan Kikile By Ono Yima In a move to redefine the continent's energy landscape, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has rallied African nations to embrace a unified gas infrastructure and a performance-driven local content model that shifts from regulatory "checkboxes" to industrial mastery. At the ongoing 2026 Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) in Abuja, senior executives of the Board outlined two major strategic pivots: the creation of a "One Africa Gas Corridor" and a performance-led framework under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) designed to make African entrepreneurs globally competitive. The ‘One Africa’ Gas Corridor: Pipelines as Bridges for Peace Participating in a high-level panel themed “Pipelines, Power & Peac...

By Ono Yima ABUJA – The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has challenged African nations to transition from mere consumers of innovation to creators of industrial technology, asserting that local content must evolve from a regulatory hurdle into a strategic engine for continental prosperity. This call to action was the centerpiece of a keynote address delivered by the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, at the 2026 Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES) in Abuja. Represented by the Director of Corporate Services, Abdulmalik Halilu, the Board’s presentation, titled "Local Content Beyond Compliance: Building African Industrial Powerhouses," set a high bar for the 1.4 billion-person African market. The Three Pillars of Mastery E...

By Ono Yima Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has said Africa spends an estimated $90 billion annually importing refined petroleum products and hydrocarbon-related services, warning that the trend continues to deprive the continent of jobs, industrial growth and economic resilience. Lokpobiri spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the opening session of the ongoing Nigeria International Energy Summit, where he urged African governments and investors to confront energy poverty by retaining more value within the continent’s energy ecosystem. According to him, the persistent outflow of capital is not merely a financial loss but a structural failure that undermines Africa’s development prospects. “The cost is not merely financial but structural,” the m...

By Els William The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with Halliburton Energy Services, TotalEnergies and Hobark Consultants Services, has commenced a specialised Well Testing Training Programme aimed at strengthening local capacity in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. The kick-off ceremony was held on Tuesday at Ave Maria International Academy, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, drawing industry stakeholders, programme facilitators and selected trainees. Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe (FNSE, FIPS), reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to human capital development and the deliberate closure of critical skills gaps in the oil and gas sector and its linked industries. He was represented by Mrs. Tarilate ...

L-R: GM, Capacity Building Division, Barr. Esueme Dan Kikile, & GM, Corporate Communications, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi By Els William The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has joined the Government and people of Bayelsa State, as well as mourners from across the country, in paying final respects to the late Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, described as a committed public servant and advocate of unity and development. The Board was represented at a series of funeral rites held in Bayelsa State, reflecting its institutional solidarity with the state and recognition of the late deputy governor’s contributions to governance in the Niger Delta. Senator Ewhrudjakpo passed away on 11 December 2025 at the age of 60. On Thursday, 29 Ja...

OPINION By  Prince MacArthur Edem The Nigerian oil and gas industry has been buzzing in the last few days over the announcement made by the Global Chief Executive Officer of Shell, Mr. Wael Sawam at last week’s visit to President Bola Tinubu, that the international oil company would invest $20bn in the Bonga South West deep water project. This is coming on the heels of the same company’s final investment decision (FID) on the $5bn Bonga North deepwater project in December 2024. Even more recent is Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) investment of $2bn HI Field Gas project, in partnership with Sunlink Energies and Resources Limited in October 2025. A similar recent investment is TotalEnergies $500m UBETA Gas project, that took FID in September 2024. The rol...

By Ali Elias Shell’s planned $20 billion investment in the Bonga South West deepwater oil project marks one of the most significant upstream commitments Nigeria has seen in over a decade, reviving hopes of renewed foreign capital inflows into a sector long weighed down by uncertainty, declining output, and investor caution. The proposed investment, still pending a Final Investment Decision (FID), follows high-level discussions between Shell’s global leadership and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Central to the talks was a package of project-specific fiscal incentives, approved by the president, aimed at improving the commercial viability of the offshore field. Shell’s CEO, Wael Sawan, described the incentives as “targeted and incremental,” stressing that they are tied strictly to new...