By Rita Enemuru, Reporting
THE Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has officially launched the Nigerian Content Fund Compliance Certificate Portal, a digital platform designed to streamline the issuance of compliance certificates for oil and gas industry players.
The launch took place on Tuesday at the Stakeholders’ Sensitisation Programme on the Upgrade of NCDF Payment Portal in Warri, with the Board’s Director of Finance and Personnel Management, Mr Ossa Uchendu, represented by Mr Desmond Awumade, Manager of Finance and Accounts, leading the unveiling.
“It is with immense pride that we gather today for the official unveiling of the Nigerian Content Fund Compliance Certificate Portal,” Uchendu said. “This launch is not just about technology. It is about aligning with the national vision for ease of doing business, digital transformation, and accountability.”
Under the Nigerian Content Act, contractors and operators must remit one per cent of every upstream contract value into the Nigerian Content Development Fund. The compliance certificate is proof of this remittance and a prerequisite for accessing the Fund.
“The certificate is proof of compliance, the key that unlocks access to the Fund, and assurance that obligations are being met in line with national development goals,” Uchendu explained.
He lamented the inefficiencies of the old manual system, where companies submitted physical documents and faced weeks of delays. “This slowed project approvals, created uncertainty, and limited transparency for regulators and investors,” he said. “That is why today matters.”
The new portal cuts processing time from weeks to days, allows online applications without physical visits, and provides real-time status updates. Regulators can verify compliance instantly, creating a trusted digital record for investors and lenders.
“By digitising the process, the portal enhances access to the Fund. Companies that meet obligations can now obtain certificates quickly, unlock financing opportunities without delay, and channel resources into projects that create jobs, build capacity, and strengthen Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain,” Uchendu said.
He noted that Nigerian Content has risen to over 60 per cent, with more than $400 million supporting over 130 indigenous companies. “Strategic initiatives like Project 100 have strengthened local capacity, while innovative financing tools, including a $100 million equity investment scheme, ensure sustainability,” he added.
Mr Oladipupo Adebanjo of the Bank of Industry, Oil and Gas Group, highlighted the Nigeria Content Intervention Fund, a product of collaboration between BOI and NCDMB.
“This fund provides finance for industry players in the oil and gas sector to be able to access funds at a very competitive rate than what you find in commercial banks and even outside the shores of the country,” Adebanjo said.
He explained that the funds cover assets acquisition, contract finance, refinancing, and manufacturing, adding that a community contractor fund has also been established to support the entire value chain. “We have looked at the end-to-end and the entire ecosystem will always appreciate the value chain and ensure that from top to bottom, we are able to support at every level and every set up,” he said.
Applicants were directed to the portal, ncdmb.boi.ng. “As long as they make one per cent contribution to the funds, they have a remittance id which they will use to login into the portal and access the funds,” Adebanjo stated. “These funds are readily available for individuals, companies and players in the oil and gas industry.”
Mr Turner Erefa, Manager of the Fund and Treasury Management Division of NCDMB, disclosed that the Fund currently stands at over $500 million, designed to support the industry at single-digit interest rates with moratorium premiums.
“The essence of the certificate we have unveiled today is to ensure that compliance with the one per cent levy which is the major funding source of this fund is adhered to by all players in the industry,” Erefa said.
He underscored the historical significance of the Local Content Act, noting that it came more than 50 years after oil was found in commercial quantities. “This means that Nigeria thought about developing its own interest and protecting the interest of its own people within the oil and gas sector more than 50 years after oil was found in commercial quantities,” he remarked.
Erefa praised the Board’s professionalism, saying: “The NCDMB has continuously maintained and shown its strength and capacity both from ease of doing business and to the professionalism with which the board is implementing the act and this event is no different.”
The event, organised in partnership with the Bank of Industry and NEXIM, featured technical sessions and an interactive panel discussion with key industry figures, including Mr Jefferson Tuantongha, GM of Monitoring and Evaluation at NCDMB, Engr Bashir Ahmed, Engr Mustapha Abdullahi, Mr Mohammed Awami of NEXIM, Mr Gabriel Yemidale of BOI, and Mr James Akintoide of FCMB.
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