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To meet Nigeria’s ambitious target of more than doubling its gross domestic product to $1 trillion by 2030, the human capital equation in industries such as oil and gas must accelerate.

Speaking during a panel discussion titled Nigeria’s model for Sustainable Local Content Growth, at African Energy Week (AEW) 2025: Invest in African Energies, Abayomi Bamidele, Director of Capacity Building at Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), noted that the agency has identified 10 critical skills as the backbone for capacity building in local content.

The top skills identified to be most in demand over the next two to three years cover a broad range of operational, technical, and digital competencies. These needs extend to beyond traditional engineering roles, and include helicopter piloting, automation and control room operations, effective communication and digitization, software engineering, underwater welding and scaffold construction, marine cadetship, rig operations, as well as quality assurance, quality control, data management and analytics.

This targeted skills development initiative not only addresses existing workforce gaps, but also aligns with the long-term vision for local content by ensuring that local talent is well-prepared to meet the evolving technological and operational demands in both the oil and gas industry and emerging energy sectors.

“We must feed these skills into the workforce to ensure Nigeria’s energy sector drives national development,” said Bamidele.

Recognizing that skills alone are insufficient without adequate capital, Fateemah Mohammed, General Manager of the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF), emphasized the importance of financial support tailored specifically for local enterprises. With $35 million deployed in loan schemes for community-level contractors, many small businesses have experienced rapid growth. “One woman-owned enterprise started with a contract of $100,000, funded with NCDF support, and now handles contracts exceeding $1 million,” she highlighted.

The NCDF’s $450 million fund, while substantial, is being leveraged to mobilize further partnerships with institutions like the Africa Energy Bank. This approach recognizes that large-scale energy infrastructure projects require expanded financing pools alongside skill development.

Silas Omomehin Ajimijaye, General Manager, Monitoring & Evaluation at NCDMB, described how data and compliance are fundamental to maintaining progress in local content. “All operating companies must submit Nigerian Content Plans aligned to legal requirements and undergo continuous monitoring during project execution,” he said, adding that the NCDMB employs templates covering legal, financial, insurance, procurement, and manpower aspects to engage with companies and address compliance gaps. This rigorous system not only ensures transparency, but also reduces risks of local content failures, and upholds standards that promote continuous improvement.

Bamidele agreed, noting that data could further be enhanced to measure the skills development pipeline every few years to ensure alignment of educational institutions with these skills requirements. “But, we also need to look at our institutions to ensure that they are providing practical training to graduates while they are studying, so that they do not need to spend three to four years post-graduation on refining these skills,” he said.

The panel, moderated by Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications at the NCDMB, agreed that the Nigerian experience offers actionable lessons for emerging African economies. Central among these lessons is creating sustainable, legislated local content funds that feature affordable lending schemes and equity investments.

“Such financial ecosystems empower indigenous companies to grow in size and competence concomitantly with skill development efforts, Ajimijaye said.

The panel further reinforced the critical role of research and development investments to deepen value addition within the continent. It advocated a shift in focus from merely inheriting assets, to fostering innovation, developing and building in-country technical excellence and digital capacities.