NCDMB Sustains In-country Gas, Safety Capacity Building With 6 Training Centres

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), is currently providing industry-focused training in gas, engineering, and safety studies, after commissioning six Centers of Excellence.
The board has so far deployed over $350million to support local companies through its Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCIF) managed in partnership with NEXIM Bank.
The Board’s director of corporate services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, made the disclosure at the weekend during an engagement with youth leaders and Niger Delta Media Stakeholders in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Halilu said the NCDMB since the enactment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in 2010 had redefined ease of doing business in the petroleum sector, supporting indigenous companies to thrive and enforcing compliance among firms with foreign interests.
“Between 2010 when the Act was enacted and now, fabrication, manpower services, and even partial integration of FPSOs (Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading platforms) have significantly increased in Nigeria,” he said.
He noted that over 100 indigenous companies could boast of exploration, production, and construction (EPC) capabilities, while about 15,000 Nigerians had been trained in critical skills such as welding, marine operations, and design engineering.
He said, “The Board has lived up to expectations in its core mandate of developing local capacities and capabilities without compromising standards.”

Speaking on why Niger Delta stakeholders should moderate their expectations, the Board’s general manager, Corporate Communications, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, clarified that the NCDMB’s mandate remained a pan-Nigerian and not restricted to the Niger Delta.

He said,“The NCDMB is a federal agency set up to build local capacities and enforce compliance of Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry and related sectors. It is not an interventionist agency for the Niger Delta.”

He urged stakeholders to channel non-content-related demands to interventionist bodies created by the federal government for that purpose.

Also speaking, deputy manager, Capacity Building, Mr. Bufazi Tareowei, urged young Nigerians to take advantage of the Board’s programmes through the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS), the central portal for accessing training and opportunities.

He reiterated that, NCDMB would continue to work with youths, media, and other stakeholders to ensure inclusiveness and long-term growth.