Nigeria and Ghana have deepened collaboration in the oil and gas sector as Ghana’s national petroleum authorities seek to replicate aspects of Nigeria’s successful local content development model aimed at increasing indigenous participation and economic value retention.
A delegation from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), led by its Director of Corporate Affairs, Eric Pwadura, visited the headquarters of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for a week-long benchmarking and knowledge-sharing programme.
Speaking during the engagement, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Dr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, stressed the need for African oil-producing nations to prioritise local content development in order to reduce dependence on foreign expertise and technology across the petroleum value chain.
Represented by the Board’s Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, Ogbe noted that Africa possesses vast hydrocarbon resources, including over 120 billion barrels of crude oil reserves and about 800 trillion standard cubic feet of gas. He explained that developing indigenous capacity would enable countries to derive greater economic benefits from their natural resources.
According to him, local content development remains a critical tool for economic transformation, job creation and skills development, particularly given Africa’s growing youth population.
“Local content does not compromise standards. It does not mean African standards or foreign standards, it is one global standard,” he said.
The NCDMB highlighted key achievements recorded under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, noting that local participation in the sector has increased to about 61 per cent. The Board also showcased initiatives such as the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, which provides financing support to indigenous companies through institutions including the Bank of Industry and NEXIM Bank.
Responding, Pwadura commended Nigeria’s achievements and said Ghana was keen to understand the policies, institutional structures and implementation strategies that have driven the country’s local content success.
He acknowledged that while Ghana has local content legislation, Nigeria’s framework has produced more robust outcomes that could provide valuable lessons.
