NCDMB launches digital compliance certificate portal in Warri, unveils over $500m fund access
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has officially launched the Nigerian Content Fund Compliance Certificate Portal, a digital platform designed to automate the processing of compliance certificates for contractors and operators in the nation’s oil and gas industry.
Speaking at the Stakeholders’ Sensitisation Programme on the Upgrade of NCDF Payment Portal in Warri, Delta State, on Tuesday, the Board’s Director of Finance and Personnel Management, Mr Ossa Uchendu, described the initiative as a bold step towards efficiency, transparency, and global competitiveness.
“It is with immense pride that we gather today for the official unveiling of the Nigerian Content Fund Compliance Certificate Portal,” the Board stated. “This launch is not just about technology.
It is about aligning with the national vision for ease of doing business, digital transformation, and accountability, as reinforced by recent Executive Orders of the Federal Government.”
Under the Nigerian Content Act, contractors and operators are required to remit one per cent of the value of every upstream contract into the Nigerian Content Development Fund.
The compliance certificate serves as proof of 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,” the Board explained.
For years, the process was handled manually, with companies submitting physical documents and enduring delays that often stretched into weeks.
The new portal reduces processing time from weeks to days, allows for online applications without physical visits, and provides real-time status updates.
“In the past, compliance confirmation was handled manually. Companies submitted physical documents, waited for verification, and endured delays that often stretched into weeks,” the Board noted.
“This slowed project approvals, created uncertainty, and limited transparency for regulators and investors.
That is why today matters.”
According to Uchendu, who was represented by the Manager of Finance and Accounts of the Board, Desmond Awumade, the portal will cut certificate processing time from weeks to days, allow online applications without physical visits or paperwork, and provide instant status updates, eliminating uncertainty.
Regulators can now verify compliance in real time, creating a single digital record accessible to 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,” the Board said.
The Board highlighted the impact of the Nigerian Content Fund, noting that local content levels have surpassed 60 per cent.
“Over the years, the Fund has been transformative. Nigerian Content has risen to over 60 per cent, meaning more value, jobs, and expertise now reside within our country,” the Board stated.
“More than $400 million has supported over 130 indigenous companies, addressing the critical challenge of access to finance.
Strategic initiatives like Project 100 have strengthened local capacity, while innovative financing tools, including a $100 million equity investment scheme, ensure sustainability.”
Uchendu emphasised that the portal reflects a forward-thinking approach to regulation.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this portal is more than a digital tool. It is a commitment to innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement,” he said.
“It reflects the forward-thinking approach of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, recognising that the future of regulation is not just enforcement, but enablement.”
Stakeholders were encouraged to embrace the platform, as its success depends on collective adoption and engagement across the industry.
“As we unveil this platform today, we send a clear message: that Nigeria is ready. That our systems are evolving. And our oil and gas industry is becoming more efficient, transparent, and competitive on the global stage,” Uchendu declared.
“I encourage all stakeholders to embrace this platform, because its success depends not just on its design, but on our collective adoption and engagement.”
Speaking at the event, Mr Oladipupo Adebanjo of the Bank of Industry, Oil and Gas Group, highlighted the long-standing partnership between the Bank of Industry and NCDMB.
“The Bank of Industry and NCDMB have a long-time relationship via collaboration and partnership which birthed the Nigeria Content Intervention Fund,” Adebanjo said. “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.”
He explained that the funds could be used for assets acquisition, contract finance, refinancing, and manufacturing.
He also noted the existence of a community contractor fund designed to support the entire value chain.
“We have looked at the end-to-end and the entire ecosystem will always appreciate value chain and ensure that from top to bottom, we are able to support at every level and every set up so that we can grow the oil and gas industry which we desire,” Adebanjo added.
He directed applicants to the portal, ncdmb.boi.ng, stating: “As long as they make one per cent contribution to the funds, they have a remittance id which they will use to log into the portal and access the funds.
These funds are readily available for individuals, companies and players in the oil and gas industry and together we can build the oil and gas industry that we all desire.”
Also speaking, Mr Turner Erefa, Manager of the Fund and Treasury Management Division of NCDMB, provided context on the Fund’s significance.
“The NCDMB is enabled by the Local Content Act of 2010 and this act is set up specifically to increase Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry,” Erefa stated.
“The fund, which is currently over 500 million dollars, is designed to support the industry at single digit with moratorium premiums on yearly interest and is in conjunction with the development banks of industry.”
He underscored the importance of the newly unveiled certificate, saying:
“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 reflected on the historical significance of the Act, noting: “It is a very, very important event in the development of Nigeria’s participation in the oil and gas sector as it is obvious that the Act came up 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 concluded: “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 by NCDMB in partnership with the Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), featured technical sessions on Compliance and JOS Processes, a demonstration of the NCDF Payment Portal and Compliance Certificate Portal, and financing opportunities from NEXIM and BOI.
The highlight of the event was the official unveiling of the NCDMB Compliance Certificate Portal, followed by an interactive question-and-answer session.
The panel included Mr Jefferson Tuantongha, General Manager of the Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate of NCDMB; Engr Bashir Ahmed; Engr Mustapha Abdullahi; Mr Mohammed Awami of NEXIM; Mr Gabriel Yemidale of BOI; and Mr James Akintoide, Head of Midstream & Dealers of FCMB.
