How OEMs, NCDMB, and Indigenous Contractors Can Drive Local Content Success in Nigeria’s Oil & Gas Sector

Collaboration for Local Content Success: OEMs, NCDMB & Indigenous Contractors

By Your Name • Published Oct 6, 2025

One thing I’ve learned working in Nigeria’s oil & gas sector is that no company grows in isolation. The real progress comes when Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and indigenous contractors collaborate with purpose.

The Nigerian Content Act was never meant to be a box-ticking exercise. Its goal is larger — to build local capability, keep value in-country, and create a sustainable industry where Nigerian companies can compete and thrive. That outcome only happens when stakeholders align around practical, measurable actions.

What each partner brings to the table

• OEMs: Provide technical expertise, international standards and the potential for technology transfer.
• Indigenous contractors: Provide local workforce, logistics, community knowledge and in-country execution capacity.
• NCDMB: Provides regulatory oversight, local content targets, and support mechanisms to ensure compliance and skills development.

How to make the partnership work in practice

Successful collaboration is practical and trackable. Here are key steps that drive real local content outcomes:

• Formalize OEM agreements with clear clauses for technology transfer, in-country assembly, and local training programs.
• Design human capacity development (HCD) plans that include internships, apprenticeships and certification pathways aligned to NCDMB expectations.
• Localize services and fabrication by setting up assembly, testing or maintenance centers in-country instead of importing fully built equipment.
• Document and report impact — track jobs created, training hours delivered, and percentage of local content on each project for audits and continuous improvement.
• Engage NCDMB early in project planning to align procurement strategies with national content targets and secure support where needed.

Local content isn’t a policy — it’s a partnership. When OEMs, NCDMB and local contractors align, the result is measurable capacity, jobs and lasting value for Nigeria.

Benefits — beyond compliance

• Stronger bids and higher chances of award when local value is demonstrable.
• Reduced project risk through local supply chains and on-the-ground support.
• Faster response and lower lifecycle costs when equipment is serviced and supported locally.
• Broader economic impact through job creation and skills development.

If you’re an OEM, a contractor or a policymaker, the question to ask is not just “How do we comply?” but “How do we cooperate so that compliance becomes competitive advantage?”

Work with me on local content Read related resources

Published by Chinenye Ejike. If this article helped you, share it with a colleague — and let’s keep the conversation going.