The Nigeria local content performance in the oil and gas industry has risen from less than five per cent in 2010 to 61 per cent in 2025.

This is because the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is shifting attention to the midstream and downstream sectors as the next drivers of investment, industrialisation, job creation, and economic growth.

The development emerged at the 2026 Nigerian Oil and Gas Midstream and Downstream Summit held in Lagos yesterday, where regulators, lawmakers and industry stakeholders projected increased investments in gas processing, refining, petrochemicals, infrastructure and local manufacturing.

The summit, with the theme, ‘Unlocking, Growing and Sustaining Nigerian Content Development in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Midstream and Downstream Sectors’ brought together regulators, investors, operators, manufacturers, financial institutions and policymakers to develop strategies aimed at expanding indigenous participation and retaining more value within Nigeria’s energy sector.

Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, the Head of Directorate (Planning, Research and Statistics), Austin Azuka, said the country was witnessing a transformation in the oil and gas value chain driven by reforms, policy clarity, stronger investor confidence and deliberate efforts aimed at expanding indigenous participation.

According to him, while Nigeria had historically depended on crude oil exports and imported refined products, recent investments and policy reforms were changing that trajectory.

He noted that the Board was broadening its local content agenda beyond upstream operations to deepen participation across the entire value chain.

Ogbe said opportunities were expanding rapidly in gas gathering, processing, compression, transportation, storage facilities, pipelines, LPG and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) distribution, refining, petrochemicals, logistics and retail operations.

He added that Nigeria was increasingly moving beyond being merely a producer of crude oil to becoming a processor and exporter of finished and semi-finished energy products.

Highlighting major developments reshaping the industry, he pointed to large-scale refining investments, modular refineries, gas commercialisation projects, domestic gas utilisation programmes and petrochemical expansion.

“One of the most notable achievements in this regard is the emergence of world-class refining infrastructure within our country, particularly the Dangote Refinery, which stands today as one of the largest single-train refineries in the world and a major symbol of Nigeria’s industrial ambition, resilience, and capacity for self-sufficiency,” he stated.

The Board also unveiled fresh data showing significant growth in indigenous participation since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act.

Acting Manager, Midstream Monitoring, NCDMB, Patrick June, disclosed that operating companies in the sector had increased from fewer than 10 before local content implementation to about 117.

He said the expansion had generated 11,934 jobs and reflected the increasing participation of Nigerian firms across the value chain.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream and Downstream), Kawu Sumaila, described the sector as central to the country’s energy future, noting that local content development had become a national economic priority.

He said the midstream and downstream segments remained critical to refining, transportation, gas processing, storage, pipelines, retail operations, logistics and manufacturing.

“Therefore, strengthening Nigerian content in these sectors is not merely a regulatory obligation;t is a national development priority,” he said.

Sumaila added that while the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) had opened a new era of transparency, investment and competitiveness, implementation and stakeholder collaboration remained essential.

“We believe that Nigerian content must go beyond participation on paper. It must translate into real capacity,” he stated.

He urged regulators and operators to improve access to financing for indigenous firms, strengthen technical capacity and support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) operating within the industry.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) also pledged continued support for investments and the development of local content.