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NCDMB, APPO Recommits To African Local Content Development
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO) have recommitted their partnership towards establishing African centres of excellence in local content development.
The Tide gathered that both organisations were also set to encourage African petroleum producing countries to develop specialised capacities in core oil and gas services, and patronise one another in their respective areas of expertise.
This came to the fore, Thursday, when the Secretary-General of APPO, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, visited the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, at the agency’s liaison office in Abuja.
Information made available to newsmen by the Department of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination of the NCDMB quoted the APPO scribe as having reiterated his organisation’s proposal to partner NCDMB towards establishing centres of excellence in key aspects of the oil and gas industry.
Dr. Ibrahim said the NCDMB’s Oil and Gas parks would serve as centres of excellence, and accommodate original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and investors from other African Oil Producing countries.
“Similar centres would be established in other African countries. Some firms had approached APPO to indicate interest to invest in Nigerian oil and gas sector, particularly in the oil and gas parks.
“It’s imperative for African oil producing countries to collaborate closely, since none of them had sufficient technical and financial capacity to operate independently. Close collaboration will actualise the noble objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA)”, the APPO Scribe said.
Using Nigeria’s decades of experience in the oil and gas industry as reference point, Ibrahim charged NCDMB to use its capacity building initiatives and facilities to train technicians and personnel who can work in key areas of the Oil and Gas industry across Africa.
He also invited the NCDMB to partner and participate in the 4th African Local Content Roundtable (ALCR), planned to hold in Congo, and expected to be hosted by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons of the Republic of Congo.
According to him, there is the need for the Board to reach out more to African Oil producers, sharing its success stories with those countries that looked up to Nigeria for guidance in local content, Oil and Gas operations.
APPO, he said, was determined to change the perception that African Oil producing countries would continue to rely on foreign nations and external institutions to harness their petroleum resources.
“Africa Oil producers must accelerate steps in innovating technology and providing the funding needed for the sector’s operations, one of the steps being the establishment of the African Energy Bank.
“I commend the NCDMB for achieving consistent Nigerian content development in the past 14 years, underpinned by a robust framework, backed with strong political will.
“Most African nations lack such structures, and subsumed their local content policies and agencies under their petroleum ministry or the national oil company”, he said.
In his remarks, the NCDMB’S Scribe reeled out the Board’s strategic support to other African petroleum nations, including the Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) on collaboration it signed with the Petroleum Commission, Ghana, in 2024, and with the Senegalese’s National Local Content Monitoring Committee in 2023.
Other strategic support initiatives of the Board, according to the Board’s scribe, were capacity building workshops it organised for other African Oil producing countries.
“The Board is equally projecting and showcasing the capacities of established Nigerian Oil and Gas service companies to other African nations. We’re opening new vista of opportunities for them in those markets”, Ogbe said.
He underlined the need for Nigerian service companies to partner local companies whenever they enter other African countries, and to obey local laws, expressing delight over the proposal to designate the Oil and Gas parks as African centres of excellence, and affirmed that the parks would be completed and commissioned this year, 2025.
“The NCDMB has started inviting manufacturers and other intending investors to apply and take up shop floors in the parks. And so I want to extend our invitation to OEMs and other investors from across Africa and beyond to invest in the Oil and Gas parks. Nigerian content emphasises domiciliation and domestication of capacities, and not indigenisation.
“I thank you, APPO Secretary-General for your meritorious service to the African energy industry which has culminated in the establishment the African Energy Bank with headquarters in Abuja, the Nigerian capital city. Secretary-General, continue serving the African Oil and Gas industry even after the expiration your tenure at APPO”, Ogbe added.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
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Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, has announced the launch of the second edition of its flagship women-empowerment initiative, the HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 (HAP 2.0).
According to the report, the programme is designed to equip women with practical, income?generating skills and structured pathways to entrepreneurship.
Accordingly, the HAP 2.0 will build on the success of its inaugural edition held in 2023.
During media chat with journalists to herald the launch of HAP 2.0, the Divisional Head, Product Development, Fidelity Bank Plc, Osita Ede, explained that the initiative has been enhanced to deliver greater impact.
He said HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 reflects their commitment to continuous improvement, having evaluated feedback from the first edition, they have returned with stronger partnerships and deeper mentorship programmes to ensure that women acquire not just skills, but sustainable economic opportunities.
Mr Ede, who said the programme is guided with real?world learning, also said that participants will undergo intensive apprenticeship training under reputable institutions and industry experts across selected fields such as hair styling, shoe making, auto mechatronics, and interior decoration.
Additionally, he said HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 goes beyond skills acquisition by offering participants a wide range of business advisory services.
These include business and financial literacy training, mentorship support throughout the apprenticeship journey, access to Fidelity Bank’s women?focused and SME financial solutions, as well as guidance on business formalisation and growth strategies.
Emphasizing the bank’s vision further, Ede said: “By integrating structured mentorship with entrepreneurial development, Fidelity Bank is positioning women not just as trainees, but as future employers, innovators, and economic contributors within their communities.
This aligns with our mandate to help individuals grow, businesses thrive, and economies prosper”.
It is noteworthy that interested participants are encouraged to indicate their interest by visiting https://bit.ly/
It is important to note that Fidelity Bank Plc is ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, with a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 10 million customers through digital banking channels, with 255 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.
It is reported that the Bank is a recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook, and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine.
By: Nkpemenyie mcdominic, Lagos
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the extension of the ban on the export of raw shea nuts for a further one year, from February 26, 2026, to February 25, 2027.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on (Information and Strategy) who disclosed this on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 stressed the Federal Government remains committed to policies that promote inclusive growth, local manufacturing, and position Nigeria as a competitive participant in global agricultural value chains.
The decision underscores the administration’s commitment to advancing industrial development, strengthening domestic value addition, and supporting the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The ban aims to deepen processing capacity within Nigeria, enhance livelihoods in shea-producing communities, and promote the growth of Nigerian exports anchored on value-added products.
To further these objectives, President Tinubu has authorised the two Ministers of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the Presidential Food Security Coordination Unit (PFSCU), to coordinate the implementation of a unified, evidence-based national framework that aligns industrialisation, trade, and investment priorities across the shea nut value chain.
He also approved the adoption of an export framework established by the Nigerian Commodity Exchange (NCX) and the withdrawal of all waivers allowing the direct export of raw shea nuts.
The President directed that any excess supply of raw shea nuts should be exported exclusively through the NCX framework, in accordance with the approved guidelines.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
A Non – Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mercy Corps, has handed over a newly constructed Veterinary Clinic and a rehabilitated structure in Danmusa Local Government Area (LGA), to the Katsina State Government.
The project, which included a 20,000-litre capacity upgraded solar-powered borehole, was executed under the European Union-funded Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience (CPCRR) project.
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Wednesday, the Commissioner for Livestock and Animal Husbandry in Kastina State, Prof Ahmed Bakori, commended Mercy Corps and its partners on such commitment to support peace and development in the state.
While praising the state government for restoring peace and stability, the said project would improve livestock services and the welfare of farmers who depend on animal health services for livelihood.
Bakori buttressed that improved security in the state had enabled development partners to implement meaningful interventions in communities affected earlier.
He said, “Recently, Gov. Dikko Radda was in South Africa to explore strategies for boosting livestock production and strengthening the livestock value chain in line with the government’s economic development agenda.”
In his remarks, Mercy Corps Senior Programme Manager, Mr Philip Ikita, expressed satisfaction on the timely and successful implementation of the project in Danmusa.
He stated that although Mercy Corps began its operations in the state in 2023, security challenges, had initially prevented the organisation from accessing some areas, including Danmusa.
Ikita said that the project would improve access to essential services, strengthen livelihoods and contribute to sustaining peace in the community.
“The project involves the upgrade of a veterinary clinic from a two room structure into a fully functional six office facility, embarked on to strengthen livestock healthcare services in the area.
“The programme builds on the success of the Conflict Mitigation and Community Reconciliation (CMCR) project and seeks to promote long-term peace and stability in Northwest Nigeria.
“It works across 48 communities in Zamfara and Katsina States, addressing the root causes of conflict, enhancing community resilience, and strengthening socio-economic recovery,” he said.
Also, the District Head of Danmusa, Ahmadu Abubakar, expressed appreciation to Mercy Corps and its partners for the intervention, describing the projects as timely and beneficial.
Earlier, the Chairman of Danmusa LGA, Ibrahim Na-Mama, represented by his Deputy, Musa Muhammad, expressed appreciation for the projects, assuring that the council would support efforts to safeguard them.
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