By Atoyebi Nike
The Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) has appealed to African governments to expand cooperation between the public and private sectors in order to strengthen the continent’s oil and gas value chain.
PETAN Chairman Wole Ogunsanya made the call in Lagos in a statement issued on Sunday, November 16, 2025. He was quoted as speaking during the 4th Conference and Exhibition on Local Content in the African Oil and Gas Industry (CECLA), organized by the African Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO) in Kintélé, Brazzaville, Congo. Ogunsanya was represented at the forum by the association’s Secretary, Kevin Nwanze.
He noted that Nigeria’s approach to local content development has become a tested model for driving sustainable growth in the oil and gas sector. The achievements recorded under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, implemented by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), have raised in-country value retention from five per cent in 2010 to 56 per cent in 2024.
According to him, the success of this framework shows that it is suitable for adoption across African countries seeking to build stronger local capacity. “Collaboration is no longer optional but essential for sustainable local content in Africa’s oil and gas industry,” he said.
Ogunsanya stressed that the growing complexity of oil and gas operations requires closer cooperation among operators, international oil companies, and domestic service providers. However, he warned that inadequate policies, poor access to finance, lack of trust, and capacity limitations continue to hinder effective partnerships on the continent.
He urged African governments to put in place clearer regulatory guidelines, transparent procurement processes, open disclosure of contract awards, and credible oversight systems, describing these measures as critical for building trust-based partnerships.
Highlighting Nigeria’s progress, Ogunsanya referenced collaborative successes enabled by the NOGICD Act, including the Egina FPSO topsides engineering consortium, the EnServ–Schlumberger partnership, and the Kwale Gas Gathering (KGG) project.
He added that Africa must now focus on long-term supplier development and invest in emerging technologies such as renewable energy integration, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), and decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure.
“What has worked in Nigeria can work elsewhere. The NOGICD model is ready for adaptation by other African countries looking for real local content advancement,” he said.
Ogunsanya further emphasized that strong regulatory backing and well-resourced local content institutions remain essential to sustaining the continent’s progress.
