NCDMB calls for local content beyond oil and gas

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, has emphasised the need for the diversification of focus on Nigerian content beyond the petroleum industry in order to give local companies a boost.

Wabote made the call during a courtesy visit made in conjunction with the multinational oil companies to Dorman Long Galvanizing Plant in Agege, Lagos.

He said, “A country with a mono-product economy is at great risk, and we can see its effect in Nigeria today. So, the board is exploring how they can support the government, to extend what has been achieved in the local content for Oil and Gas sector to other sectors of the economy.”

According to him, investment opportunities abound in other sectors, like Construction, Telecommunications, power projects, transportation (railway and aviation) that local content policies and strategies can benefit from.

Despite his satisfaction with the in-house facilities at the complex, Wabote lamented that there is insufficient awareness of the company’s capacity and capability.

He, therefore, urged the company to improve on its communication to end-users on the availability of such facilities in the country.

While giving assurance that NCDMB will do its own part in increasing awareness within the industry on the existence of state of the art galvanising facility being manufactured by Dorman Long, Wabote encouraged the company to look inwards and harness its potential as this would enable NCDMB to promote the various jobs the company has capacity to deliver.

For the Chairman of Dorman Long Engineering Limited, Timi-Austen Peters, the visit is a good development to the company as it created a forum to discuss some of the challenges it faced as well as plans on how to make a more positive impact on the economy.

He commended the NCDMB and the oil companies for promoting local content in Nigeria and noted that increased local content capacity is a boost to the economy and a means of creating employment.