TotalEnergies local content success highlighted as Egina and Ikike projects prove Nigerian capacity to deliver world-class oil developments

TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd has said the Egina deepwater project and the Ikike shallow-water project stand as compelling proof that Nigerian engineers, contractors and service providers can deliver complex oil and gas developments to international standards.

Also read: TotalEnergies Nigeria faces setback as NUPRC revokes sale

The Deputy General Manager for Nigerian Content at TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd, Cyprian Ojum, made the remarks on Monday while speaking at the 9th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja.

Cyprian Ojum addressed a high-level panel session titled Performance-Driven Local Content under Nigeria’s PIA, a central feature of the summit’s programme focused on empowering local services, African entrepreneurs and multinational partnerships.

Cyprian Ojum said the two projects represent a decisive shift from compliance-driven participation to the development of real industrial capability within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

He told industry leaders and policymakers that performance-driven local content must begin at the project design stage and end with measurable value retained within the country.

According to Cyprian Ojum, the Egina deepwater project marked a strategic turning point in Nigeria’s local content journey, not only because of its scale but because of the deliberate investments made in human capacity and infrastructure.

He said capacity development was embedded into Egina through local fabrication and training programmes, noting that about 200 Nigerians were trained in critical skills that are now deployed across the wider industry.

Cyprian Ojum added that Egina currently contributes nearly 10 per cent of TotalEnergies’ global production, underscoring the scale of value created through the project.

While Egina demonstrated industrial depth, Cyprian Ojum said the Ikike project proved that Nigerians can lead the full execution cycle of a field development.

He said Ikike achieved approximately 95 per cent Nigerian content, describing the outcome as powerful evidence of the capability of local contractors and engineers when capacity is built deliberately over time.

Cyprian Ojum noted that the success of Ikike was built on experience gained from Egina, particularly in fabrication, procurement and on-site execution, allowing capacity to compound rather than restart with each project.

He explained that TotalEnergies’ approach is anchored on targeted human capacity development, deliberate value retention and close collaboration with local contractors and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.

The TotalEnergies local content success story, Cyprian Ojum said, is firmly rooted in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010, which requires operators to treat local content as an operating philosophy rather than a regulatory formality.

He stressed that the Act places strong emphasis on training, skills transfer and value retention, adding that early and sustained engagement with regulators is essential to achieving meaningful outcomes.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, Wole Ogunsanya, criticised petroleum industry regulators over persistent delays in contracting processes, despite a presidential directive requiring tenders to be concluded within six months.

Also read: TotalEnergies sells 10% Renaissance JV stake to Vaaris

Wole Ogunsanya said prolonged approval cycles, delayed final investment decisions and regulatory bottlenecks continue to stall projects scheduled for 2026 and 2027, warning that such delays could erode investor confidence and slow sector growth.