Oil and gas service providers across Africa have formed a continental forum known as the African Local Content Organisation (ALCO), with the goal of collaborating among themselves to deliver complex projects, creating and retaining value in the multibillion dollar African energy sector and growing the economy.
The organisation was unveiled on Wednesday, Day 2 of the 2025 Namibia Oil and Gas Conference, at Windhoek, Namibia. Membership of the body is open to national associations of service providers in the oil and gas and mining sectors across the African continent.
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Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) and member of NCDMB Governing Council, Mr Wole Ogunsanya introduced the organisation and explained that the body would serve as the private sector arm of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation, (APPO), which comprises African governments engaged in oil and gas operations.
He underscored the pivotal and complimentary roles the private sector plays in building African local content, particularly in the development of competent human capacities, deployment of technologies and equipment, mobilization of private capital, and execution of projects.
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He said the organisation would be launched officially at the 2026 African Union (AU) conference, in view of its strategic importance to continent’s economy. Key to the group’s plan is to institute close partnership with APPO and the African Energy Bank (AEB). The Bank was recently set up by APPO to fund big ticket energy projects across the continent and bridge the funding gap impeding the development of key energy projects.
Members of the group, Mr Ogunsanya said, are well positioned to execute key scopes of the projects that would be financed by the Energy Bank. This would guarantee value and spend retention in the continent, helping to catalyze the economy.
Other key objectives of the forum include facilitating exchange of knowledge and capacities among African energy service companies, enabling collaboration on projects, and growing Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The PETAN Chair added: ”through the forum we can carry out benchmark studies, join forces to solve industry problems. It is also a forum where African energy service companies can link up and find partners across the continent. It would enable the exchange of equipment and partnership on major industry projects. As Namibia or any other African country develops energy projects, you can count on your African brothers to share our over 70 years knowledge and experience in the oil and gas industry.”
Fourteen (14) African countries have already joined the organisation, including Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, he said. The PETAN chairman is serving as the interim chair of the African Local Content Organisation, while Ibrahim Talla from Senegal is the Secretary,
The new organisation has received endorsement from the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who described it as a key platform for advancing African local content. Represented at the Namibian event by the Director, Corporate Services, Abdulmalik Halilu, the NCDMB boss referenced the vital roles the Board played in the establishment of the African Energy Bank, assuring that it would continue to promote African local content and extend every possible assistance to the ALCO.
