NCDMB hosts Local Content and Skills training Masterclass at African Energy Week 2023
This week, prior to the Strategic Program, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) organized a local content and skills training session during the African Energy Week (AEW) (AECWeek.com) Conference Technical Track. The masterclass is in line with the commitment of the NCDMB and the African Energy Chamber to promote the growth of local content along the full value chain of the African energy sector.
The Nigerian Content Development and Management Board (NCDMB), which was established in 2010 under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, has been a major driving force in the development of local capacity within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. This was accomplished through strategic collaborations with academic institutions and business leaders that aimed to improve infrastructure, create content development plans, and support STEM education efforts.
Ama Ikuru, the NCDMB’s Director for Capacity Building, opened the event with a presentation on capacity building and declared, “There should be a collaboration between operating companies, service providers, and the government.”
The NCDMB has vowed to develop capacity with a focus on human capital ever since the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act was passed in 2010. Ikuru outlined the NCDMB’s policy, which is organized as follows and goes beyond simply prohibiting training for no reason: 20% of training is targeted at people who are already employed, 20% is for new entrants, and 60% of training is to provide access to employment.
The primary objective of the NCDMB is to increase local content to 70% by the year 2027, and the company has successfully trained 16,000 members of the workforce.
“We need investment,” he declared in his closing statement. “We need those who are willing to invest to come and support us.”
The general manager of the NCD Fund and Treasury Management, NCDMB, Obinna Ofili, then gave a presentation on the Nigerian Content Intervention (NCI) Fund as an Elixir for Local Content Development.
Ofili stated that the Nigerian Content Development Fund was an independent financing source for the NCI Fund and that it was purposefully established by the government due to financial difficulties. Obtaining funding to support operators in the nation’s oil and gas sector is exceedingly challenging.
Additional merits include the efficiency of allocating 1% of each oil and gas contract to the Nigerian Content Intervention Funds.
Director for Project Certification and Authorization, NCDMB, Abayomi Bamidele, concluded the discussion by saying, “If you are an investor in Nigeria, the law protects you to ensure you get pastorage in terms of your investment.” He explained that the NCDMB has put a lot of work into streamlining the procedures that shorten the time it takes to award contracts.
With a focus on capacity building, finance efforts, project certification and authorization, and local content and skills training, the NCDMB’s Local Content and Skills Training Masterclass at AEW 2023 emphasized the significance of cultivating local talent and firms to promote sustainable growth in the African energy industry.
The AEW 2023 Technical Track began the week’s deliberations, and on Tuesday, October 17, the Strategic Program got under way. For more fascinating details and updates regarding Africa’s largest gathering of energy stakeholders, keep checking www.AECWeek.com.
