As Africa’s energy markets mature, the imperative to strengthen local capacity and deepen value creation is more pressing than ever. At the upcoming African Energy Week (AEW) 2025: Invest in African Energies in Cape Town, a high-level Local Content Roundtable on “Driving Local Value and Maximizing Stakeholder Returns” will convene policymakers, industry leaders and development experts for a focused discussion on the practical tools and strategies shaping Africa’s local content landscape.
Sponsored by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), this session underscores the critical role that local content plays in ensuring sustainable development across the continent’s key energy-producing nations. It will explore how companies and governments alike are embedding workforce development, supplier growth and community inclusion into their business models – turning policy into measurable impact.
The roundtable will be moderated by Hamlet Morule, Executive Head of Communications & External Affairs at bp Southern Africa. Joining him is a distinguished panel of experts from across the value chain: Abdulmalik Halilu, Director of Corporate Services at NCDMB; Stuart Gregg, Operations Director at Petrofac; Tony Paul, Energy and In-Country Value-Addition Advisor at Future Energy Partners; Bradford Donohue, CEO of International Human Resources Development Corporation (IHRDC); and Jorge de Morais, General Manager at KAESO Energy Services.
With a focus on Angola, Nigeria and South Africa, the roundtable will dissect both the hurdles and breakthroughs shaping local content implementation. From skills shortages and fragmented SME ecosystems to regulatory inconsistencies, the session aims to confront the root challenges head-on. Through comparative analysis of local content legislation – Nigeria’s pioneering Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, Angola’s evolving Local Content Law and South Africa’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment framework – the discussion will highlight not only the gaps but also the innovative approaches that are delivering results.
“As AEW 2025 sets the stage for investment and policy innovation, the Local Content Roundtable will provide essential guidance on how Africa’s energy sector can evolve from extraction to inclusion, ensuring that the continent’s resource wealth translates into long-term prosperity for its people,” says NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber.
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