The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has launched a comprehensive "strategic reset" of the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF), reports ITREALMS.
The move is designed to transform the forum into a high-octane engine for policy intervention, information sharing, and localized capacity building within the oil and gas value chain.
The overhaul was unveiled during a two-day retreat and the first-half 2026 Steering Committee Meeting, where the Board emphasized the necessity of an actionable roadmap to align the forum with evolving global energy standards.
Opening the session, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, characterized the reset as a pivotal evolution for the NCCF. He noted that while the forum has seen steady growth since its 2014 inception, the current economic climate demands a more intentional and strategic direction.
"The NCCF began as a modest vision but with bold intent," Ogbe stated, in a speech delivered by the Acting Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics. "Today, this entity has matured, nurtured by dedication and sustained by our shared commitment. However, we must now match progress with deliberate planning to ensure long-term, cross-sectoral impact."
The Executive Secretary highlighted a baseline study by Ernst & Young (EY) as the foundational tool for this transformation, benchmarking the NCCF against international best practices to bridge existing operational gaps.
Mr. Damilola Aloba, a Partner at EY and the session facilitator, provided a candid assessment of the forum’s current challenges. According to EY’s benchmarking analysis, the NCCF has historically grappled with:
Strategic Ambiguity: A lack of clear direction from the NCDMB, leading to uncertainty within Sectoral Working Groups (SWGs).
Operational Delays: Bottlenecks in project approvals and a lack of clarity in post-idea decision-making.
Financial Constraints: A heavy reliance on the NCDMB as the sole funding source, limiting the scale of independent interventions.
Tracking Gaps: Weak capacity for project evaluation and a lack of defined criteria for measuring the viability of initiatives.
"We aim to strengthen aligned leadership and ensure clear expectations across the NCDMB, the NCCF Secretariat, and the SWGs," Aloba noted, stressing that the reset will foster shared ownership of the mission.
Despite these structural hurdles, the forum has maintained a strong track record. Engr. Bright Amatoru, Acting Deputy Manager of NCCF, outlined the statutory role of the forum under Sections 57 and 58 of the NOGICD Act.
National Operational Standards: Harmonizing capacity development across 12 Sectoral Working Groups.
Marine Assets Listing System: Creating a definitive database of marine assets for the industry.
Diversity Initiatives: Successful hosting of the Women in Oil and Gas Conference and specialized mentorship workshops.
"Our function is to identify gaps and provide solutions through extensive engagement," Amatoru explained. "However, the absence of a defined strategic framework has limited our ability to prioritize interventions. This clarity is now our top priority."
The retreat serves as the primary engine for developing a new NCCF Strategic Roadmap. This plan will be tightly integrated with the NCDMB’s broader 10-year strategic mandate, focusing on generating actionable ideas and refining governance structures to ensure Nigeria remains a leader in in-country capacity development.
Uboshe Uboshe/Editor
The overhaul was unveiled during a two-day retreat and the first-half 2026 Steering Committee Meeting, where the Board emphasized the necessity of an actionable roadmap to align the forum with evolving global energy standards.
Opening the session, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, characterized the reset as a pivotal evolution for the NCCF. He noted that while the forum has seen steady growth since its 2014 inception, the current economic climate demands a more intentional and strategic direction.
"The NCCF began as a modest vision but with bold intent," Ogbe stated, in a speech delivered by the Acting Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics. "Today, this entity has matured, nurtured by dedication and sustained by our shared commitment. However, we must now match progress with deliberate planning to ensure long-term, cross-sectoral impact."
The Executive Secretary highlighted a baseline study by Ernst & Young (EY) as the foundational tool for this transformation, benchmarking the NCCF against international best practices to bridge existing operational gaps.
Mr. Damilola Aloba, a Partner at EY and the session facilitator, provided a candid assessment of the forum’s current challenges. According to EY’s benchmarking analysis, the NCCF has historically grappled with:
Strategic Ambiguity: A lack of clear direction from the NCDMB, leading to uncertainty within Sectoral Working Groups (SWGs).
Operational Delays: Bottlenecks in project approvals and a lack of clarity in post-idea decision-making.
Financial Constraints: A heavy reliance on the NCDMB as the sole funding source, limiting the scale of independent interventions.
Tracking Gaps: Weak capacity for project evaluation and a lack of defined criteria for measuring the viability of initiatives.
"We aim to strengthen aligned leadership and ensure clear expectations across the NCDMB, the NCCF Secretariat, and the SWGs," Aloba noted, stressing that the reset will foster shared ownership of the mission.
Despite these structural hurdles, the forum has maintained a strong track record. Engr. Bright Amatoru, Acting Deputy Manager of NCCF, outlined the statutory role of the forum under Sections 57 and 58 of the NOGICD Act.
National Operational Standards: Harmonizing capacity development across 12 Sectoral Working Groups.
Marine Assets Listing System: Creating a definitive database of marine assets for the industry.
Diversity Initiatives: Successful hosting of the Women in Oil and Gas Conference and specialized mentorship workshops.
"Our function is to identify gaps and provide solutions through extensive engagement," Amatoru explained. "However, the absence of a defined strategic framework has limited our ability to prioritize interventions. This clarity is now our top priority."
The retreat serves as the primary engine for developing a new NCCF Strategic Roadmap. This plan will be tightly integrated with the NCDMB’s broader 10-year strategic mandate, focusing on generating actionable ideas and refining governance structures to ensure Nigeria remains a leader in in-country capacity development.
Uboshe Uboshe/Editor
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