With 61% Local Content Achieved, Stakeholders Eye 70% Target At PNC Forum

Following Nigeria’s achievement of 61 per cent local content under the Nigerian Content Strategic Roadmap (2017–2027), stakeholders are working towards a 70 per cent target, as they meet in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, to decide how to sustain that progress beyond 2027.

The 15th Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) Forum will hold from 30 November to 3 December 2026 under the theme “Defining Strategic Priorities for the Next Decade of Nigerian Content Implementation.”

Organised by dmg Nigeria events in partnership with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the forum will bring together government, regulators, operators and indigenous businesses. It comes as upstream investment rises, driven by projects such as Shell’s $2 billion HI Field and the $5 billion Bonga North project. Local operators are also taking over divested assets, and other African countries are looking to replicate Nigeria’s model.

With the current Roadmap nearing its end, attention is turning to the capacity gaps that remain and the priorities that should guide implementation after 2027.

Portfolio and country director, dmg Nigeria events, Wemimo Oyelana, said: “15 years of Nigerian Content implementation have demonstrated what sustained policy, regulatory commitment and industry collaboration can achieve. As the current Roadmap approaches its conclusion, the conversation must now move beyond measuring progress to defining what the next decade requires. PNC 2026 provides a platform for stakeholders to collectively shape those priorities, from funding and project delivery to the policy frameworks needed to sustain and deepen this progress.”

The Forum will focus on four areas: Mobilising Capital, Project Opportunities, Advancing Nigerian Content, and Policy and Legislation.

On capital, discussions will examine how better access to funding, stronger financial partnerships and innovative financing can help indigenous companies compete, scale up and deliver more complex projects.

Regarding project opportunities, the focus will be on how closer collaboration, greater visibility into procurement strategies, and supplier development can unlock commercial opportunities across the energy value chain.

On advancing Nigerian Content, participants will look at the policies, investment priorities and strategies needed to strengthen competitiveness, close capacity gaps and accelerate industrialisation.

On policy and legislation, the question is how laws and regulations can adapt to new opportunities, shifting markets, technological advances and investor expectations, while enabling investment, strengthening compliance and supporting sustainable growth in the energy sector.

The Forum will use five formats designed to turn dialogue into accountability:

Strategic Leadership Panels: CEOs, government leaders and decision-makers will address the policies, investments and partnerships shaping the energy value chain.

Executive Debates: Senior industry leaders will go head-to-head on critical issues.

Town Hall: Government, regulators and industry will review progress and seek clarity on policy and compliance.

Breakout Sessions: Stakeholders will hold focused, sector-specific discussions to identify actionable solutions.

Local Content Impact Stage: A platform for major announcements, MoU signings and partnerships.

Speakers

Speakers and participants include Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Executive Secretary, NCDMB; Elohor Aiboni, EVP and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria; Matthieu Bouyer, Country Chairman and Managing Director, TotalEnergies Nigeria; Jim Swartz, Chairman and Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria Mid-Africa Business Unit; and Jagir Baxi, Chairman and Managing Director, ExxonMobil Affiliates in Nigeria.

Others are Engr. Wole Ogunsanya FNSE, Chairman, PETAN; Engr. Chris Osarumwense, President, Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN); and senior NCDMB directors.

PNC 2026 will take stock of 15 years of progress and provide industry and government with a platform to set priorities, partnerships, and policy direction for the next decade of implementation.