The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Felix Ogbe, has urged unprecedented continental collaboration to elevate Africa’s energy sector to global standards.

Addressing the 10th edition of SAIPEC in Lagos, Ogbe emphasized that a shared vision and cross-border partnerships are essential for building sustainable local content strategies.

He noted that effective local content policies rely on close cooperation among governments, private sector stakeholders, and local communities.

“Collaboration between governments, private sector players, and local communities continues to demonstrate itself as the bedrock upon which we must build successful local content strategies,” he said.

He noted that Nigeria’s local content strategy has been deliberately planned and methodically executed.

“First, we focused on deepening indigenous participation, then capacity building and now policies and guidelines that prohibit the transfer of certification to intermediaries. This approach is aimed at ensuring that the Board works with very competent and capable contractors; this will now be a critical criterion in technical tenders,” Ogbe stated.

He emphasized the importance of alignment and regulatory harmonization, stating, “We must collectively leverage the Brazzaville Accord to promote regulatory harmonisation, sectoral cooperation, and an Afrocentric approach to local content development.”

The Executive Secretary noted that aligning frameworks and addressing bottlenecks would enhance project competitiveness and economic viability, enabling access to global funding.

He also underscored the strategic significance of the Africa Energy Bank, established by the African Petroleum Producers Organisation in collaboration with Afreximbank.

“The Bank is designed to mobilise capital for African energy projects, provide access to more affordable financing, strengthen industry players, and boost capacity across the continent,” he said.

He called on all stakeholders to back the bank’s operations, stating, “I therefore urge all stakeholders, governments, regulators, investors, and industry leaders to actively support the realisation and operational success of the Africa Energy Bank as we work to unlock sustainable growth across Africa’s energy sector.”