NCDMB rules out certificate transfer in oil industry contracting

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has ruled out the transfer of certificates in oil industry contracting as it rolled out new guidelines on the issue.

NCDMB said it undertook the step in its determination to speed up the oil and gas industry contracting processes, weed out firms lacking technical capacity to perform and reduce Nigeria’s cost of production.

In a statement signed by Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Communications Division, and made available to BusinessDay, the Board said the “NCEC Application Guidance Notes” took effect from December 2025.

Ezeobi said the document, which is available on the Board’s website and on the NCEC application portal, “forms part of concerted efforts to operationalise the Presidential Directives (PDs) on Local Content Requirements, which mandates NCDMB to take further steps to eliminate intermediaries in the contracting process lacking demonstrable capacity.”

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He emphasised that one of the key requirements for participating in the contracting process is the possession of NCECs issued by the board.

He noted that “Unmerited possession and/or misapplication of the NCECs during tendering/bid evaluations contribute to contracting delays and admittance of unqualified intermediaries into the contracting process”.

NCDMB said the goal of the new document is to “tackle cases of single and multiple NCEC applications not matched to capacities on the ground, submission of fake/forged documents, under declaration of personnel, non-existent offices/equipment, and many other dubious applications.”

The new rule is expected to enhance the timely review and approval of applications from genuine service companies, “as the document provides all the requirements needed to complete a credible application at first attempt”, the statement said.

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According to NCDMB, there are eight NCEC categories which cover Manufacturing and Related Services, Fabrication and Construction, Construction and Moveable Equipment, Services and Support, Quality Control Inspection and Testing, Non-Moveable Assets, Procurement and Supplies and Consultancy Services.

The document advised service companies to provide details of their specific service offering with sufficient supporting evidence while applying for any of the NCEC categories via the application portal.

The statement read in part: “Providing further explanation, NCDMB stressed that it does not solicit or require any payment for the application, processing, or approval of NCEC or any of its certifications.”

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