Economic Prosperity: NCDMB urges African oil-producing countries to retain oil, gas financial outlays in-country
Engr. Simbi Wabote, ES NCDMB
Oredola Adeola
The Nigerian Content Development and Management Board (NCDMB) has called on oil-producing nations in Africa to develop local capabilities that would ensure that Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Fabrication, Installation, Commissioning, and Operation, which take a significant proportion of the oil and gas industry expenditure and financial outlays, are retained in-country.
๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ. ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐จ๐ญ๐, ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐, made the submission in his presentation at the ongoing 2023 Africa Energy Week in Cape Town, South Africa.
According to him, ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ, ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ.
The NCDMB boss regretted that most African nations lacked requisite local capacities in key areas of the oil and industry such as Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Fabrication, Installation, Commissioning, and Operation, and that resulted in the loss of job creation opportunities, revenues, skills acquisition, and other aspects of national development.
He said, “A further negative impact is that those broad categories take a significant proportion of the oil and gas industry expenditure, hence it is expedient for oil-producing nations to develop local capabilities that would ensure that those financial outlays are retained in-country.
Wabote, while advising on the strategy for enhancing local content capacity in African nations, further emphasised that one important plan is to make local content a national agenda and back it with the appropriate legislation or legal framework in their respective jurisdictions.
He stated that appropriate legislation or legal framework โmake it clear to all and sundry that local procurement, fabrication, and manufacturing is a national priority such that all institutions, businesses, decision-makers, investors, and citizens will buy into the vision.
Using Nigeria as an example, the NCDMB ES recalled that Nigeria started with policy directives to deepen local content practice in the oil and gas sector before enacting the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in 2010, thereby eliminating the possibility of companies complying with local content requirements in the oil and gas sector on โbest endeavourโ basisโ.
He further listed other strategies for enhancing local content capacity as establishing factual data on current capacities in-country and carrying out gap analysis between current realities and the national vision.
He noted that โperiodic gap analyses are essential to determine gaps that need to be closed and the progress being made in the target areas of interest. He insisted that local content is not โcopy and pasteโ, hence local peculiarities must be factored into programs aimed at enhancing local capabilities.โ
The NCDMB boss identified other enhancement tools to include Structured Capacity Building interventions to close identified gaps and funding and incentives, describing them as essentials to implement local content programs, develop infrastructure, attract new investments, and keep existing businesses afloat.
Speaking further, Wabote highlighted the importance of patronizing in-country capacities and capabilities, clarifying that all policies, capacities, and individuals will become frustrated if there is no outlet to engage them and receive rewards for sustainability and growth.
He explained that the Board ensures patronage of local goods and services by using the โright of first refusalโ principle contained in the Nigerian Content Act and various project certification and compliance monitoring tools.
