Nigeria’s oil and gas industry has recorded a major milestone as local fabrication capacity has now surpassed national demand, allowing Nigerian companies to offer fabrication services to other African countries and even the Middle East.
This was revealed by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) during the launch of a 12-month Nigerian Content Non-Compliance Remediation Training Programme in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile, said the achievement reflects the success of the Board’s 10-Year Strategic Road Map initiated in 2017.
The 10-Year Road Map aims to grow Nigerian content in the oil and gas sector from 26% in 2017 to 70% by 2027. One of its key areas is technical capability development, with a focus on improving the local supply chain without compromising on quality and safety.
Back in 2010, Nigeria’s fabrication capacity was less than 50,000 metric tonnes per year. By 2017, that number had grown to over 228,000 metric tonnes. Today, local yards are helping reduce the importation of line pipes and other materials used in the oil and gas industry.
This growth has also helped retain capital within Nigeria and created jobs for thousands of skilled workers. Fabrication services now include shipbuilding, steel structure erection, and metal frame production.
Leading players in the sector include Nigerdock Nigeria Plc, Dorman Long Engineering, Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria, Saipem Nigeria, Bablink Resources, Aveon Offshore, and AOS Orwell.
Ogbe added that the NCDMB has a long-term target of creating 300,000 jobs within the oil and gas industry and related sectors like power and construction.
“We are not at 300,000 yet, but we have done very well,” he said, noting that many Nigerians trained by the Board are now working in other African countries.
The 12-month remediation training programme is sponsored by Waltersmith Petroleum Oil Limited and delivered by Dexterous Applied Training Institute. It features general courses such as entrepreneurship, ICT, workplace safety, and Nigerian content awareness, as well as specialised training in instrumentation and control engineering, quality assurance, and process engineering.
The current batch of the programme has 23 participants out of a total of 52 selected trainees. General courses are ongoing at the NCDMB Learning Centre in Yenagoa, while hands-on sessions will be held in Port Harcourt.
Ogbe stressed that the NCDMB is not just a regulatory agency but also a business enabler committed to driving local content development and expanding the nation’s economy.
