The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Friday at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Conference Centre, Warri, Delta State, concluded the latest of its capacity building programmes for local contractors and vendors from oil and gas host communities, with a declaration that empowerment of participants was a cardinal policy in fulfilment of its core mandate.
At the five-day capacity building workshop themed “Empowering Local Contractors for Sustainable Growth,” participants from 40 companies operating as contractors and vendors received detailed explanation of NCDMB’s “Community Content Guideline” (CCG) and were acquainted with modalities for securing and executing contracts from oil and gas companies, among other things.
The CCG is a critical working document of the NCDMB in its operations as the sole implementation agency for the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010. The key objective of the Guideline is to integrate host communities into the oil and gas value chain, ensuring, among other things, growth of host community entrepreneurs through funding and policy support.
It spells out obligations of operators and service companies in the oil and gas industry to host communities in such matters as establishment of a project office, employment and human capital development (HCD), procurement of goods and services, and funding.
Participants were also acquainted with NCDMB’s Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content (NOGIC) Joint Qualification System (JQS) portal and how to access it and register their businesses and obtain necessary information on industry projects and opportunities. They were taught what documents are required, where to obtain them, and what to do with other regulatory agencies like Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Explaining the rational for the workshop, Dr. Abraham Apereseikumo Alfred, of the Strategy Transformation and Projects Division (STRD) of the NCDMB, who represented the Executive Secretary of the Board, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said the NCDMB considers it crucially important to strengthen the local supply chain in the industry with the ultimate objective of meeting Nigerian Content development targets.
“When we empower local contractors we deepen local content,” he declared at the close-out ceremony, pointing out that host communities, comprising youths, registered contractors, and others have to be carried along at all times. According to him, funding is part of the package the Board offers to local contractors through its US$450 million Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCIF), managed by the Bank of Industry (BOI) and NEXIM Bank.
He noted with satisfaction that, “With this Fund, local contractors have continued to add value in-country,” and that in some significant push, the NCDMB’s vision to be “a catalyst for the industrialisation of the oil and gas sector and linkage sectors,” is taking shape.
He expressed satisfaction with the performance of participants and the training organisation, Tosdere Nigeria Limited, Port Harcourt, all through the duration of the workshop.
For their part, the local contractors and vendors commended the NCDMB for an initiative they claimed has equipped them with much-needed knowledge on how to conduct business with the international oil companies (IOCs), indigenous oil and gas producers, and service companies in their respective areas of operation.
The Managing Director of Rossman Nordman Limited, Warri, Mr. Hosanna Jalogho-Williams, said it was far-sighted of the NCDMB to conceive a training workshop for businessmen and professionals that significantly opened their eyes to grey areas in industry operations and empowered them to achieve better results. He thanked the Board and facilitators.
Another participant, Mrs. Pemu Mary Olaye, of Top-Private Security Services Limited, Warri, said the workshop not only boosted their knowledge of what is required for meaningful participation in the oil and gas industry but created opportunities for interaction and networking among contractors and vendors. She expressed profound appreciation to the NCDMB and facilitators.
The Managing Director of Tosdere Nigeria Limited, Chief (Dr.) Eugene Ikomi, was thankful to the NCDMB for its consistency in HCD initiatives and unwavering commitment to its statutory mandates.
In April (7th-11th 2025), the NCDMB, in conjunction with the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, conducted a similar capacity building workshop for local contractors at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
On the NCDMB team at the close-out ceremony on Friday were Mrs. Olufunmilayo Ojo, Supervisor, Zonal Coordination; Ms. Emily Onyesoh, Mr. Foncha Prince, and Ms. Janet Lokpobiri, of the Corporate Communications Division (CCD).
