NCDMB Executive Secretary Inspects Local Facilities at Samsung and Africoat Ahead of Major Oil Projects
In a bid to reinforce local content participation in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), visited the facilities of Samsung Heavy Industries Nigeria (SHIN) and Africoat Nigeria Limited at Takwa Bay, Lagos.
The inspection comes as the country gears up for several high-profile projects, including TotalEnergies’ Ubeta gas development, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company’s Bonga North deep-water project, and the Zabazaba deep-water project, among others. Ogbe emphasized the board’s commitment to ensuring that local firms with proven capabilities are integral to the execution of these projects, in line with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act.
At the SHIN facility, Managing Director Mr. Jin Lee showcased the company’s capabilities in heavy fabrication and FPSO integration. Mr. David Bruce Inglis, Business Development Manager at SHIN, highlighted the company’s track record in training specialized welders—560 of whom, including women, were trained during the Egina FPSO project—and its plans to manufacture components for both the local market and export.
During his visit to Africoat, Ogbe urged the management to resolve ongoing disputes with their bankers and landlord, Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics (LADOL), which have hindered the plant’s operations since its completion in 2017. Africoat’s Managing Director, Mr. Frank Twynam, confirmed that efforts were underway to resolve the impasse, noting that an investment of US$42 million had been made in the state-of-the-art corrosion and concrete weight coating facility.
Ogbe reiterated that the NCDMB’s proactive engagement with both international oil companies and local service providers is a critical component of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic agenda, aimed at catalyzing job creation and economic revitalization in the oil and gas sector.
