Nigeria’s mining and energy sectors are witnessing a dramatic transformation, as homegrown policies championed by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) take centre stage in Africa’s industrialisation discourse.
The sweeping reforms—spotlighted at the African Natural Resources and Energy Investment Summit in Abuja—are being hailed as a continental model for value-added development, job creation, and economic sovereignty.
At the heart of this transformation is NCDMB’s strategic intervention in Nigeria’s barite value chain, a mineral essential to oil and gas drilling. According to Felix Ogbe, Executive Secretary of NCDMB, the agency has spent more than a decade systematically building domestic capacity in the sector.
“Today, barite importation for drilling is prohibited in Nigeria,” Ogbe announced, via his representative, Dr Abdulmalik Halilu, NCDMB’s Director of Corporate Services. “That didn’t happen by accident. It was made possible by deliberate policy instruments, stakeholder partnerships, and enforcement frameworks.”
Through initiatives such as the Nigerian Content Equipment Certificate (NCEC), NCDMB has ensured that all barite used in Nigeria’s oil sector is locally sourced—boosting domestic production, retaining economic value, and stimulating job creation across six states with certified barite reserves.
The barite success story is part of a broader policy suite that includes mandatory local sourcing of bare line pipes and oil tubular goods, as directed in 2022. NCDMB is also overseeing massive infrastructure investments through platforms such as the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industrial Parks Scheme (NOGAPS) and a $350 million Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, operated in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI) to support indigenous manufacturers.
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One of the most tangible outcomes of these reforms is Nigeria’s rapidly expanding lithium and battery value chain. Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Dele Alake, revealed that over $800 million in mining investments were secured in 2024 alone, following a regulatory overhaul that requires all new mining licences to include local processing plans.
“The Nasarawa lithium battery plant, valued at $100 million, is already operational,” Alake said. “And a $600 million lithium refinery near the Kaduna–Niger border is under construction. These projects are anchored on one thing: local content.”
He further noted that federal mining revenue rose sharply from ₦6 billion in 2023 to ₦38 billion in 2024, attributing the surge to stricter licensing, robust value-addition policies, and renewed investor confidence.
Nigeria’s reforms have attracted admiration across Africa. Jake Kabakole, Chairman of Liberia’s Petroleum Regulatory Authority, described the local content regime as a “continental model,” urging other nations to replicate Nigeria’s legal and institutional frameworks for mineral industrialisation.
“We are no longer exporters of raw potential,” Alake declared. “We are builders of real value.”
Local content reforms have also reshaped the energy production landscape. Indigenous Nigerian firms now contribute 15% of national oil output and 60% of domestic gas supply. Domestic engineering firms such as Dormanlong, Saipem, and Aveon Offshore are delivering complex fabrication projects once outsourced to multinationals.
In collaboration with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), NCDMB now enforces local employment quotas, ensuring certified Nigerian engineers are prioritised in project deployment. A parallel customs alert system blocks the importation of goods—including cables, paints, and valves—that are sufficiently produced by local manufacturers.
“Local content is not a constraint; it is an enabler,” Ogbe stressed. “When deployed intentionally, it becomes a lever for self-sufficiency, industrial growth, and economic sovereignty.”
At the summit, Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, underscored the importance of measurable local content across sectors. He highlighted reforms under the Electricity Act 2023, which decentralised power governance and allowed 11 Nigerian states to launch independent electricity markets.
“The real value of local content lies in supply chains, technical jobs, and local ownership,” Adelabu stated, adding that government electrification efforts now align with local manufacturing—including clean energy, meter assembly, and solar technology production.
From East Africa, Kenya’s Minister of Mining and Blue Economy, Hassan Ali Jobbo, delivered a cautionary note, urging African countries to define their own mineral priorities rather than rely on external classifications.
“Africa has talked too long about potential without decisive action,” Jobbo said. “We must decide for ourselves which minerals are critical to our future—not wait for outsiders to tell us.”
As the summit concluded, Nigeria’s model stood out for its clarity, coordination, and measurable outcomes—from lithium battery plants and formalised artisanal cooperatives to electric vehicle assembly and steel processing hubs.