Reps seek local content implementation in power, construction sectors

Members of the Federal House of Representatives have begun working with stakeholders in Power, Construction and Information Communication Technology sectors towards extending the Nigerian Content Act to the power and construction sectors.

The collaboration was firmed up at the recent workshop organized by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for members of the House of Representatives Committee on Local Content, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The consensus at the event was that extending the Act to those key sectors would replicate the achievements recorded in the oil and gas industry through the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.

In his presentation on Operationalizing Local Content in the Construction Sector, Chief Executive Officer, Megastar Construction Company, Arch Harcourt Adukeh stated that the construction industry could be a key driver of the Federal Government’s economic diversification programme when the prevailing dominance of the industry by international companies is reversed.

Adukeh underscored the need to encourage indigenous participation in the construction sector, adding that the industry was a key enabler of ancillary services like financial services, education, retail, real estate and hospitality.

Speaking on Local Content in the power sector, Commissioner, Engineering, Performance & Monitoring, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Prof. Frank Okafor, stressed that “no country in the world had grown its power network through the importation of all components and devices.”

He canvassed for a legislation that would promote deliberate utilization of local human and material resources, goods and services in the power sector.

Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Local Content, Honourable Emmanuel Ekon, in his address, highlighted some of the achievements recorded in the oil and gas industry through the implementation of the Nigerian Content Act.