NCDMB Oil, Gas Parks Near Completion, Set for 2026 Inauguration
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) says its Nigerian Oil and Gas Parks Scheme (NOGAPS), established to boost local manufacturing through shared infrastructure and embedded power solutions would be inaugurated in 2026.
Dr Abdulmalik Halilu, Director, Corporate Services, NCDMB disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while presenting an overview of the Board’s mandate and achievements at a capacity building workshop for media.
NCDMB established the NOGAPS with the primary aim of domiciling and domesticating oil and gas activities in-country by facilitating local manufacturing.
The scheme is a key part of the NCDMB’s 10-year Strategic Roadmap to increase Nigerian content in the industry to 70 per cent by 2027.
Halilu said eight oil and gas industrial parks, covering Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Delta, Ondo, Abia, and Edo states were being established.
“NOGAPS in Bayelsa and Cross River states are at 90 per cent completion and due for commissioning in 2026,’’ he said
Halilu said the parks would provide infrastructure and services plots for manufacturing outfits, adding that its local content policy had evolved into a powerful tool for industrialisation, job creation and sustainable economic growth in the sector.
He said local content was designed to stop capital flight and reposition the oil and gas industry as a catalyst for national development.
According to him, exporting oil and gas services outside Nigeria amounted to exporting jobs, capital and industrialisation opportunities, a situation the Federal Government deliberately moved to reverse through local content policies.
He said the success of early local content initiatives led to the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, which institutionalised the policy and insulated it from political changes.
“The philosophy of local content is simple: what can be competitively produced in Nigeria should be produced in Nigeria, without compromising standards, pricing or project timelines,” Abdulmalik said.
He explained that the NOGICD Act assigns NCDMB two core responsibilities, namely building indigenous capacity and enforcing compliance with the Act, which contains schedules and nearly 300 performance targets.
Highlighting achievements, he cited the Nigeria LNG Train 7 project as a major success story, with over 93 per cent Nigerian workforce participation, engagement of 1,400 vendors, and significant domiciliation of fabrication, engineering and manufacturing activities.
He said capacities developed for oil and gas projects now served other sectors such as power and construction, reinforcing the sector’s multiplier effect on the economy.
On financing, he said NCDMB had deployed funds from the Nigerian Content Development Fund through intervention programmes, including single-digit interest loans for indigenous companies, asset acquisition financing and working capital support introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abdulmalik also said that NCDMB had fully automated its processes, eliminating physical visits for certifications and approvals, and placing the Board among Nigeria’s top-performing agencies on ease of doing business rankings.
Earlier, Dr Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications, NCDMB, reaffirmed its commitment to sustained engagement with the media and continuous capacity building for journalists covering the oil and gas sector.
Describing the event as a long-standing tradition which began since 2018, Ezeobi said it aimed at providing an opportunity for NCDMB to deepen relationships with the media and enhance professional competence.
He said effective communication had played a critical role in projecting Nigerian content achievements over the years, adding that the media had been instrumental in shaping public understanding of the impact of the Nigerian NOGICD Act.
According to him, the Board deliberately focuses on improving the capacity of journalists, recognising the media’s agenda-setting role and its high level of interest and influence as a key stakeholder in the oil and gas industry.
He assured media practitioners of the Board’s commitment to continuous engagement across regions where its activities have significant impact, adding that informed reporting remains critical to deepening Nigerian content development and national economic growth.
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