CHENGDU, China — The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is stepping up efforts to attract Chinese investment, technology and manufacturing capacity into Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, as it seeks to deepen local production of equipment and reduce reliance on imports.
The Board engaged more than 100 Chinese Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in Chengdu during the 15th China Shale Oil and Gas Summit, held from September 20 to 23, 2026, as part of a broader push to position Nigeria as a manufacturing and technology hub for the African energy industry.
The engagement focused on opportunities for Chinese companies to establish manufacturing operations in Nigeria, transfer technology and integrate local suppliers into global oil and gas value chains.
The summit, held at the Chengdu Century City International Conference Centre, was themed “Empowering Efficient and Green Development via Intelligent Technologies, Innovating to Lead the Shale Oil and Gas Revolution.”
Representing NCDMB Executive Secretary, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Board’s Director of Project Certification and Authorization Division and Senior Technical Adviser, Austin Uzoka, delivered a keynote address titled “Nigeria’s Local Content Journey and Opportunities for Chinese Collaboration in Oil and Gas Equipment Manufacturing.”
NCDMB seeks shift from imports to investment
Uzoka said Nigeria wanted to move beyond the conventional buyer-seller relationship that has traditionally characterised its engagement with Chinese equipment manufacturers.
Instead, the NCDMB is seeking partnerships built around direct investment, local manufacturing, technology transfer and integration into international supply chains.
“We are looking beyond the traditional buyer-seller relationship. What can we build together?” he said.
“We want Chinese companies to see Nigeria not simply as a market for their products, but as a strategic investment destination, a platform for manufacturing and technology development, and a gateway to opportunities across the wider African market.”
The approach aligns with Nigeria’s broader local-content policy, which seeks to increase domestic participation in the oil and gas value chain and retain a larger share of industry spending within the country.
NCDMB highlights local-content incentives
The Board told the Chinese manufacturers that Nigeria’s local-content framework provides a market for equipment produced locally for the petroleum industry.
Uzoka said the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act provides a basis for supporting equipment manufacturing facilities established in Nigeria.
He said companies that invest in manufacturing capacity could gain access not only to Nigeria’s oil and gas market but also to opportunities in the wider Gulf of Guinea and African markets.
The pitch is aimed at encouraging Chinese OEMs to establish production and assembly facilities in Nigeria rather than serving the country exclusively through exports.
China engagement targets technology transfer
For NCDMB, the Chengdu engagement is also about closing technology and industrial-capacity gaps within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Chinese manufacturers have become significant suppliers of industrial equipment and technology globally, making them potential partners for Nigeria as it seeks to expand its domestic manufacturing base.
The Board’s engagement with more than 100 OEMs therefore provides an avenue to explore partnerships in equipment production, engineering services, fabrication, automation and other oil and gas technologies.
A stronger manufacturing base could also enable Nigerian companies to participate more deeply in regional energy supply chains, particularly as oil and gas investment expands across West Africa.
Nigeria positions itself as African manufacturing hub
The NCDMB’s message in Chengdu reflects a broader effort to reposition Nigeria from primarily an importer of oil and gas equipment to a potential manufacturing and services hub for Africa’s energy industry.
The strategy is particularly significant as Nigeria seeks to increase crude oil and gas production while developing domestic capacity to supply the equipment, engineering and technical services required by the industry.
For Chinese investors, Nigeria offers a large domestic energy market, an established petroleum industry and access to regional markets. For Nigeria, the objective is to convert that market opportunity into factories, jobs, technology transfer and locally retained industrial value.
The NCDMB said its participation at the Chengdu summit formed part of its continuing efforts to build international partnerships that support Nigeria’s local-content objectives and expand the country’s role in global oil and gas supply chains.