From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is set to unveil Nigeria’s First Procurement policy, in an effort to deepen the economy by harnessing local capacity and discouraging external procurements.
The policy, when operational, will ensure that all goods or services that are produced or available locally will not be procured from foreign sources unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, made the disclosure yesterday, during the Nigerian Content Seminar held on the sidelines of the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas Energy Week in Abuja.
According to him, ‘Nigeria First Policy’ is a bold commitment to build national pride, industrial competence and sustainable economic growth by putting Nigerian-made products and services first.
The seminar themed; “Achieving Energy Sufficiency through Local Content Implementation’’ attracted key players in the oil and gas industry to deliberate on the growth of the industry.
Ogbe explained that the NCDMB board strives to attract more investments into the Nigerian oil and gas landscape as a strategic stride towards achieving energy sufficiency and security. He added that Nigeria’s energy sufficiency goes beyond its availability, as it extends towards the key elements of resilience, sovereignty and sustainability, which are anchored in strong domestic capabilities.
“The most recent policy aimed at deepening local content is the ‘Nigeria First Policy.
“At the heart of this administration’s agenda is a deliberate and strategic push to reclaim our economic independence by harnessing our local capacity. The Nigeria First Policy represents this vision.
“It is rooted in a simple but powerful principle that ‘All goods or services that are produced and/or available locally will not be procured from foreign sources unless there is a clear and justifiable reason.”
“This principle is in line with Section 3 (1) of the NOGICD Act, which states that first consideration must be given to Nigerian goods and services. Let me add that such goods and services must meet the required industry standards.
“To ensure this policy translates from paper to tangible progress, the Board is already taking some steps. First, we are developing a Nigeria First Procurement policy for the Board. The Board is incorporating the Nigeria First policy into our internal processes and systems.
“The policy will be considered for reviewing and approving Nigeria Content Plans, Nigeria Content Compliance Certifications, and so on. The Board will also commission a Baseline Study to ascertain and verify the available capacity of Nigerian service providers.
Similarly, we will also commission a Baseline Study of the consumables and other goods that are used in the oil and gas industry. The study will also identify Nigerian companies that produce these goods and confirm their capacities,” he explained.