NSE Urge Stronger Local Content Enforcement to Boost Jobs and Industrial Growth
The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has reiterated the urgent need for a stronger and more coordinated implementation of Nigeria’s local content policies to boost industrialisation, stimulate economic recovery, and create sustainable employment opportunities across sectors.
The call was made during the 2025 Annual Workshop of the Nigerian Content Development Committee (NCDC), held on Thursday in Abuja. The session, themed “Strengthening Nigeria’s Domestic Business Development: Leveraging Local Content Principles for Sustainable Economic Growth,” centred on the NSE’s drive to offer actionable solutions to Nigeria’s recurring economic challenges.
PulseNets learnt that the workshop served as a high-level platform for engineers, policymakers, and stakeholders to evaluate the progress of local content adoption beyond the oil and gas industry.
Delivering the keynote address, Engr. Uche Okorie, a Fellow of the NSE and Registrar of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), defined local content as “the measurable economic value created within Nigeria through the utilisation of local human and material resources in the production of goods and services.”
According to him, “local content is not nationalism for its own sake — it must meet global standards of quality, safety, and environmental responsibility.” He explained that while the concept originated in the oil and gas sector, its principles apply broadly across agriculture, ICT, construction, manufacturing, and services.
Engr. Okorie told PulseNets that effectively implemented local content policies could serve as a “powerful catalyst for sustainable national growth,” ensuring that Nigerian firms take the lead in value creation, production, and service delivery.
He warned that despite the country’s vast natural and human resources, a significant portion of Nigeria’s economic value continues to “leak abroad through foreign dominance of supply chains and import dependence.”
To reverse this trend, he urged both government and private sector actors to “prioritise Nigerian talent, materials, and enterprises in procurement and project planning.”
He added: “President Bola Tinubu’s administration has shown intent through the Nigeria First Procurement Policy — what we now need is a national commitment to extend that spirit to agriculture, ICT, construction, and manufacturing.”
PulseNets obtained further details indicating that Engr. Okorie emphasised capacity building, access to finance, and technology transfer as essential pillars for expanding local participation. He also called for stronger institutional oversight to guarantee transparency and accountability.
“Leveraging local content principles remains one of the most practical tools for strengthening domestic business development and achieving sustainable growth,” he added.
The NSE President and Chairman-in-Council, Engr. Margaret Oguntala, represented by Engr. Aluyah Dauda, Vice President (Professional Development), reaffirmed the Society’s commitment to promoting indigenous participation across all sectors.
In her remarks, she said: “The NCDC occupies a strategic position as the think-tank of the Nigerian Society of Engineers. Through its work, we continue to drive core objectives such as promoting local content, enhancing indigenous capacity, encouraging technology transfer, and ensuring professional excellence.”
PulseNets reported that Oguntala commended the committee’s “dedication and valuable contributions to advancing the Society’s role in national development.”
Earlier, Engr. Nnanna Ukaegbu, Chairman of the NCDC, explained that the committee functions as the presidential arm of the NSE tasked with identifying and coordinating business opportunities for Nigerian engineers.
He told PulseNets that the NCDC also creates an enabling environment for collaboration between investors, inventors, and innovators to commercialise homegrown engineering solutions under supportive policies and regulations.
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“We recognise the current challenges within Nigeria’s business landscape, particularly regarding sustainable development goals,” Ukaegbu said. “This year’s theme aligns with our duty as engineers — to leave the earth better than we found it.”
