NCDMB, UN seek wider access to women’s $40m oil, gas fund

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in collaboration with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), are in talks to expand access to the dedicated $40 million Women in Oil and Gas Fund, ensuring that more women-owned businesses and professionals benefit from industry’s opportunities and play a stronger role across the sector’s value chain.

In April 2021, the NCDMB established a $20 million fund dedicated to supporting women-owned and women-led businesses in the oil and gas sector. The Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) complemented this effort by matching the fund with an additional $20 million. However, despite this significant commitment and favorable loan terms, the uptake of the scheme has remained below expectations to date.

The discussions were advanced last week when the UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Ms. Beatrice Eyong, led a delegation to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s (NCDMB) Abuja liaison office. The team was received by the Board’s General Manager of Corporate Communications, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe.

The meeting explored proposed capacity-building initiatives for NCDMB personnel, aimed at mainstreaming gender perspectives into the Board’s project planning, budgeting, and execution frameworks. Other key areas of discussion included vendor development schemes to better position women-led oil and gas businesses for industry opportunities, strategies to raise awareness of available financing options, and potential affirmative procurement measures designed to expand the participation of women-owned companies across the oil and gas value chain.

The UN official commended NCDMB for its ongoing gender inclusion efforts, noting that the Board is already implementing several measures consistent with its mandate.

She proposed conducting a study to identify the reasons women face challenges in accessing the financing facility, including potential barriers related to documentation, business registration, tax compliance, and limited awareness.

She further highlighted key initiatives currently being undertaken by the UN Office, such as programmes on women’s economic empowerment, leadership development, and the elimination of gender-based violence, among others. Ezeobi welcomed the proposals and affirmed the Board’s readiness to partner with UN Women. He highlighted several innovative initiatives already implemented by the Board to create opportunities for women to participate, grow, and lead in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

These include the establishment of a dedicated funding scheme with NEXIM Bank that enables women-owned or women-led firms to access financing at a highly competitive 5 per cent interest rate, as well as the creation of a Diversity Sectoral Working Group within the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum (NCCF), designed to mainstream women’s issues into local content policy and decision-making processes.

The Board also supports associations of women who work across the Energy Industry value chain, where they network, build confidence and links to progress their careers or businesses.

Ezeobi noted that NCDMB has also invested significantly in capacity-building programs for women entrepreneurs and business leaders, covering critical areas such as business sustainability, corporate governance, and strategic management.

The Board has further supported women’s participation in technical occupations while encouraging young girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

He acknowledged that women remain underrepresented in the oil and gas industry, citing limited access to technical education, finance, and commercial opportunities, as well as entrenched perceptions of the sector as predominantly male.

Ezeobi reiterated NCDMB’s willingness to collaborate with UN Women to address these challenges and recommended strategies to accelerate the Board’s support for UN Women’s programmes, thereby advancing gender inclusion across the industry.

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