Elizabeth Vincent, Yenagoa
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has highlighted Nigeria’s growing attractiveness as a destination for oil and gas investments, attributing the development to policy reforms, strategic incentives and local content initiatives that have helped secure major industry projects and investment commitments.
The board said Nigeria had attracted international oil and gas investments and projects valued at more than $10 billion in the past three years, following targeted policy interventions and executive Orders introduced by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
General manager, corporate communications of NCDMB, Dr Obinna Ezeobi, disclosed this on Wednesday during a strategic leadership roundtable at the 2026 Abu Dhabi international petroleum exhibition and conference (ADIPEC) in Abu Dhabi, united Arab emirates.
Ezeobi represented the executive secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, at the high-level engagement themed, “Delivering the Energy the World Needs: Recalibrating Upstream Projects.”
The roundtable brought together 21 global industry leaders to examine critical issues shaping the future of the energy industry, particularly investment opportunities, project delivery, financing and sustainable growth.
In his presentation, Ezeobi outlined the Board’s mandate of developing indigenous human and material capacities, ensuring compliance with the Nigerian oil and gas Industry content development (NOGICD) act and facilitating investments across the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
He explained that the investment commitments and final investment decisions (FIDs) recorded in the sector were also supported by policy reforms implemented by key industry institutions, including NCDMB, the Nigerian upstream petroleum regulatory commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian national petroleum company limited (NNPC Ltd).
According to him, the reforms have strengthened investor confidence, improved the competitiveness of Nigeria’s energy sector and created a more conducive environment for the execution of major oil and gas projects.
He further attributed the progress to the board’s sustained engagement and strategic partnerships with industry stakeholders particularly operating companies, noting that effective collaboration had been instrumental in securing recent FIDs and advancing investments across the sector.
Highlighting some of NCDMB’s initiatives aimed at revitalising the industry, Ezeobi cited the revised Nigerian content contracting guidelines, which have streamlined project approval processes as well as the Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate (NCEC) Guidelines.
He explained that the NCEC Guidelines were designed to eliminate the involvement of non-performing intermediary companies in industry operations while enabling original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to provide services directly for deepwater projects.
The NCDMB spokesman called on international operating and service companies to explore investment opportunities in Nigeria, assuring them of the Board’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for sustainable business operations and indigenous participation.
He said: “NCDMB will continue to support an environment in which international investments thrive alongside Nigerian enterprise, where technology transfer leads to stronger domestic capability and major projects create opportunities for local manufacturing, value addition and companies to compete beyond our borders.”
The Nigerian delegation at the roundtable included the Managing Director of NNPC E&P Limited, Mr Nicolas Foucart, and the Managing Director of NNPC 18 Operating Limited, Ms Ibiyemi Asaolu.
Participants at the engagement examined investment opportunities, strategies for navigating complex operating environments and approaches to sustaining long-term growth and economic development in the global energy industry.
They also recommended practical measures to diversify upstream financing, accelerate field assessments, strengthen project delivery mechanisms, increase hydrocarbon recovery and build a more resilient energy future.
The strategic leadership roundtable provided a platform for global energy leaders to exchange ideas and explore collaborative solutions to meeting rising energy demand while promoting sustainable development in the industry.
Meanwhile, NCDMB established an exhibition booth at the 2026 ADIPEC Conference to showcase Nigeria’s local content achievements, explain its local content processes to international stakeholders and attract potential investors into the country’s oil and gas industry.
The minister of state for petroleum resources (Oil), senator Heineken Lokpobiri, accompanied by the chairman of the petroleum technology association of Nigeria (PETAN), Engr. Wole Ogunsanya, were among the prominent Nigerian stakeholders who visited the Board’s exhibition stand.
During the visit, Lokpobiri challenged NCDMB to strengthen its collaboration with relevant agencies in the Nigerian oil and gas industry to establish a more prominent Nigerian presence at major international oil and gas conferences.
He urged the board and other industry institutions to use such platforms to project Nigeria positively as a competitive and attractive destination for global oil and gas investments.
