The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB and energy experts have called for greater use of artificial intelligence, AI, to improve gas production, create jobs and strengthen local businesses.
They made the call at the ongoing 2026 Emogas International Natural Gas-Based Industry Conference and Exhibition, EINGICE, in Abuja, where they stressed the need to turn Nigeria’s gas resources into industries, technology and economic opportunities.
One of the expert and Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Management Development Board, NCDMB, Mr. Felix Ogbe said the board was supporting local companies through funding, technology development and training.
Represented by General Manager, Midstream Monitoring division, Mr Suleiman Ozimede, said the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund provided financing options to help indigenous companies acquire equipment, develop facilities and expand their operations.
Ogbe stressed that funding must lead to stronger businesses, better technology, job creation and increased capacity to compete in international markets.
He said the board was also supporting young innovators through its Technology Innovation and Research Centre, which helps turn ideas into products that can solve industry problems.
The Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles, Ismaeel Ahmed, represented by Omoh Imoukhuede, said gas industrialisation required investment in infrastructure, clear regulations and cooperation across the value chain.
He said reliable gas supply, conversion centres, refuelling stations and skilled workers were essential to expanding the use of compressed natural gas and creating business opportunities.
The Chief Executive Officer of Africenergy Energy and Infrastructure Limited, Mr. Bassey Rex, urged government agencies and industry operators to give local technology developers access to data and facilities to test their solutions.
Rex said AI projects must address specific industry challenges, undergo proper testing and demonstrate measurable results before they are adopted commercially.
He also called for easier access to funding, stronger partnerships and clear pathways for successful pilot projects to become commercial contracts.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of Stelog Energy Group Limited, Dr Stella Okene, said AI could help improve drilling, predict equipment failures, reduce downtime and increase gas production.
Okene said Africa had more than 800 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves but needed to improve production through technology, research and local expertise.
She urged African countries to invest in data infrastructure, train young engineers and establish research centres to develop homegrown energy technologies.
The Stelog Energy chief said her company was working with international technology firms to apply AI in wellhead monitoring and improve the identification of areas with potential hydrocarbon deposits.
The experts agreed that Nigeria must move beyond local participation to developing and owning technology that can compete globally, adding that stronger collaboration among government, industry, researchers and entrepreneurs would help position Nigerian businesses for wider African and international markets.
