By Dianabasi Effiong
FLOWERBUDNEWS: BThe Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) unveiled a stakeholders’ Sensitisation on the compliance certificate system, upgraded Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) payment portal on Wednesday in Uyo.
The federal government’s agency also unveiled its Revised Community Contractors scheme in an event that drew participants from the media, industry players, and partner banks.
The NCDF Payment Portal, a digital platform managed by the NCDMB, allows operators, contractors, and subcontractors in Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas sector to remit the mandatory one per cent statutory contract levy and non-process compliance certificates online.
Addressing participants at the occasion, the Managing Director of the NCDF, Mr Emmanuel Yusuf, said that no fewer than 130 indigenous firms in Nigeria’s oil and gas upstream sector received not less than $400 million in support from
Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF).
He also stated at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s (NCDMBs) unveiling of the Stakeholders Sensitisation Programme on the Compliance Certificate System, Upgraded NCDF Payment Portal, and the Revised Community Contractor Scheme on Wednesday in Uyo, that the portal would not only provide a digitised process for enhanced access to funds.
According to him, the portal will also ensure efficient services, a measurable impact, such that operators and contractors will access funding easily.
He said that with such services regulators would enjoy improved data collation, and investors’ confidence would soar.
He said that this would align with the vision to improve ease of doing business, digital transformation, and accountability in Nigeria
He said that the Nigerian Content Fund Compliance Certificate (NCFCC) was necessary for the oil and gas industry.
“The Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry Content Development Act specifies that the sum of one per cent of every contract awarded to any operator, contractor, sub-contractor, alliance partner, or any other entity involved in any project, operation, activity, or transaction in the upstream of the Nigerian oil and gas industry shall be deducted at source and paid into the fund.
“This 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. 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. 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. But as progress expands, our systems must evolve,” he said.
He said that compliance confirmation was handled manually in the past such that companies would submit physical documents, wait for verification, and endure delays that often took several weeks.
He added: “With the launch of this portal, compliance becomes faster, simpler, and more transparent. The portal will cut certificate processing time from weeks to days; allow online applications without physical visits or paperwork; provide instant status updates, eliminating uncertainty; enable regulators to verify compliance in real time and create a single digital record that investors and lenders can trust.”
Similarly, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, told participants that the sensitisation programme on the NCFCC System and the NCDF Payment Portal would provide stakeholders with practical information on the upgraded NCDF Payment Portal, the Compliance Certificate System, and access to the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund).
Ogbe, who was represented by Mr Dandi Osagie, said the initiatives were necessary to improve efficiency, transparency, and ease of doing business, and also ensure that eligible Nigerian companies could access financing.
“The NCDMB recognises that effective implementation of Nigerian Content requires continuous engagement, collaboration, and capacity building. We therefore consider programmes such as this an important platform for listening to our stakeholders, clarifying areas of concern, and ensuring that the systems and processes we provide are well understood and effectively utilised,” he said.
Stakeholders were also advised to visit the digital platform via the NCDF Payment Portal. Login: Sign in using existing company credentials from the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGIC JQS).
They are required to select their transaction currency, input contract details, upload proof of payment, and track their verification status to secure regulatory clearance.
The unveiling brought together stakeholders from Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and neighbouring states, as well as representatives of government agencies, captains of industry, oil and gas servicing firms, marine experts, organisations, and media practitioners.