The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has called for a more robust implementation of local content policies to stimulate the nation’s economy, create jobs, and drive industrialisation.

The engineers made the call at the 2025 annual workshop of the Nigerian Content Development Committee (NCDC) Workshop on Thursday in Abuja.

The workshop, with the theme “Strengthening Nigeria’s Domestic Business Development: Leveraging Local Content Principles for Sustainable Economic Growth” was in alignment with NSE’s objective to contribute its quota to proffer solutions to national challenges.

The keynote speaker, Uche Okorie, Fellow NSE and registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), defined local content in the Nigerian oil and gas context to mean the quantum composite value added or created in the Nigerian economy.

This, Mr Okorie said, was through the utilisation of Nigerian human and material resources for the provision of goods and services to the petroleum industry.

“Key elements include: use of local labour, local procurement, value-added manufacturing, capacity building, and technology transfer.

“Local content is not nationalism for its own sake; it must meet quality, safety, and environmental standards.

“Although the term originates in oil and gas, the principle is applicable across sectors: agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, construction, and services.

“For Nigeria, local content means moving from being primarily a consumer/importer of goods and services to being a producer, processor and exporter.”

Mr Okorie said that local content remained a powerful tool for driving sustainable growth if effectively implemented across all sectors.

According to him, local content policies play a crucial role in economic development by ensuring that Nigerian companies are involved in the production, manufacturing, and services sectors, thereby enhancing economic growth and reducing unemployment.

He added that focusing on local content would help develop critical infrastructure, particularly in engineering and construction, and create sustainable opportunities for skilled workers across the country.

The registrar explained that in spite of Nigeria’s vast human and natural resources, much of the country’s economic value was lost through foreign dominance of supply chains and import dependence.

He, therefore, urged the government and private sector to prioritise Nigerian skills, materials, and enterprises in all procurement and project planning processes.

“Local content is not nationalism for its own sake; it is a pragmatic strategy for retaining value, building domestic capacity, and promoting innovation.

“President Bola Tinubu’s administration has already demonstrated commitment through policies like the Nigeria First Procurement Policy; we must now scale that commitment across agriculture, ICT, manufacturing, and construction.”

Mr Okorie identified capacity building, access to finance, and technology transfer as critical enablers of local participation.

He also called for stronger institutional oversight to ensure transparency and accountability in implementation.

“Leveraging local content principles is a powerful lever for strengthening Nigeria’s domestic business development and achieving sustainable economic growth,” he said.

To achieve this, he said domestic firms should be empowered, procurement systems reformed, capacity built, linkages created and standards upheld.

Also speaking, the NSE president and chairman-in-council, Margaret Oguntala, said the NCDC held a crucial position as the think-tank of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

Mrs Oguntala, represented by Aluyah Dauda, vice president, professional development, said that through its work, the society continued to advance key objectives that were central to the growth of the profession and the development of the country.

“These objectives include: Promoting local content participation, Enhancing indigenous capacity, Advocating for effective policy implementation, Encouraging technology transfer, Fostering collaboration, Supporting economic development, and Ensuring the highest professional standards in engineering practice.

“So far, the Society has made tremendous headway in these areas; therefore, I commend the NCDC for its firm dedication and valuable advice to the NSE on matters relating to local content development and the active participation of Engineers and companies in engineering practice.”

Earlier, the chairman of NCDC, Nnanna Ukaegbu, said the NCDC was NSE’s presidential committee responsible for identifying and collating business opportunities for Nigerian engineers.

Mr Ukaegbu added that the NCDC helped in creating an enabling environment for investors to engage with engineering inventors and innovators towards the commercialisation of their inventions within the framework of supportive government laws, policies and guidelines.

“The Committee is aware of the current challenges in the Nigerian business environment, especially towards the adoption and implementation of MDG goals on sustainability.

“So we found it adequate to have the experts x-ray and push forward opportunities open to the Nigerian Engineers.

“This year’s theme strategically aligns with the objective of the NSE President. We must, as engineers, leave the earth better than we found it,” he said.

(NAN)