The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals have held a Joint Technical Committee retreat in Lekki, Lagos, to strengthen local content development across Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.
The retreat, themed “Beyond Compliance: Partnering for Sustainable Nigerian Content Development,” brought together senior officials of NCDMB, Dangote and representatives of key government regulatory agencies to explore strategies for building local capacity, promoting indigenous participation and sustaining Nigeria’s refining industry.
Speaking at the meeting, Engr. Austin Ozoko emphasised the need for stakeholders to move beyond regulatory compliance towards sustainable Nigerian content development, identifying credible supply chains, indigenous ownership of technology, local maintenance capabilities and access to affordable and timely financing as critical priorities.
He stressed that maintaining Nigeria’s refining infrastructure was as important as constructing it, urging stakeholders to strengthen local technical expertise and support the development of future refineries.
According to him, building sustainable local capacity would require deliberate efforts to ensure that Nigerian companies can provide essential services, maintain critical infrastructure and participate meaningfully in the oil and gas value chain.
Similarly, Dangote Group’s Vice President, Oil and Gas and Fertiliser, Dr. Edwin, reaffirmed the Group’s commitment to local manufacturing, industrial development and economic self-reliance.
He noted that the philosophy of the Group’s President, Aliko Dangote, centres on producing locally the goods and products that Nigeria and other African countries would otherwise import.
He called for increased investment in domestic production, noting that expanding local manufacturing would help retain jobs, boost gross domestic product (GDP) and strengthen Africa’s industrial capacity.
A major outcome of the retreat was the presentation of a draft Service Level Agreement (SLA) by the Joint Technical Committee to Dangote management for review.
The agreement is expected to undergo further consideration ahead of the Committee’s fourth-quarter meeting scheduled for December 2026, when the outstanding issues and proposed adjustments will be reviewed.
The Managing Director’s representative at Dangote Industries Free Zone Development Company, Mrs. Charity Idachaba, commended the Committee for aligning policy objectives with operational realities.
She also urged members to translate discussions into actionable outcomes capable of delivering measurable benefits to industry stakeholders.
The retreat underscores the ongoing collaboration between NCDMB and Dangote to promote indigenous participation, strengthen local supply chains and improve the capacity of Nigerian companies to support the country’s oil and gas industry.
Through sustained engagement between regulators and industry operators, both organisations are seeking to advance a more sustainable industrial ecosystem driven by local expertise, technology transfer, domestic manufacturing and improved technical capabilities.
The success of these efforts will depend on translating policy commitments into practical opportunities for Nigerian businesses, strengthening local maintenance capacity and ensuring that domestic companies can compete effectively in the oil and gas value chain.
