Dorman Long Engineering has highlighted the role of indigenous engineering, fabrication and technical skills development in advancing Nigeria’s local content agenda and strengthening the country’s industrial capacity.

The company’s experience, spanning more than seven decades, reflects the evolving role of Nigerian businesses in delivering increasingly complex projects across the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Nigeria’s local content policy gained formal backing with the passage of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act in 2010, aimed at increasing the participation of Nigerian companies and professionals in the oil and gas industry.

According to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Nigerian Content reached 56 per cent at the end of 2023, compared with less than five per cent in 2010.

The board has also reported that implementation of the Act has created more than 50,000 direct jobs and enabled over $8 billion in annual oil and gas expenditure to be retained within the Nigerian economy.

However, the next phase of local content development is increasingly focused on building sustainable domestic capabilities, including technical expertise, industrial infrastructure and the capacity to execute specialised projects locally.

Established in 1949, Dorman Long Engineering has participated in several major Nigerian infrastructure and industrial projects, including railway projects, warehouses for companies such as UAC and PZ, and the first Niger Bridge.

Its entry into the oil and gas sector in the 1990s marked another stage in its development. Following an introduction by the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the company began working with Shell in 1994 on pressure vessels, manifolds and separation packages.

Its subsequent work has included components and structures associated with offshore developments such as the Agbami and Akpo floating production, storage and offloading vessels, alongside engineering, procurement and asset-management services.

These projects illustrate the expanding scope of work undertaken by indigenous companies, from supplying basic services to developing the specialised engineering and fabrication capabilities required for complex energy projects.

Skills development

Alongside its engineering operations, Dorman Long has pursued technical training and human-capital development through partnerships with industry institutions and energy companies.

In 2017, the company trained 78 Nigerians in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Project Management through a 12-week programme sponsored by Hyundai Heavy Industries.

The programme trained 39 participants in NDT and another 39 in project management.

Between August 2021 and August 2022, Dorman Long, in partnership with Shell Petroleum Development Company, also trained 40 young people from the Assa North and Ohaji South communities in Imo State.

Eight participants received professional training, while 32 underwent vocational training in areas including electrical engineering, welding and fitting, scaffolding and rigging, project management, electrical installation, civil engineering, quantity surveying, information and communications technology, telecommunications and carpentry.

The programme combined classroom instruction with practical experience, equipping participants with skills for employment in industry or self-employment.

In 2025, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) covering training, consultancy and human-capital development.

The agreement includes structured training for NSE student members and a one-year training programme, with stipends, for graduate members.

Such initiatives seek to address the gap between academic qualifications and the practical skills required in the workplace, particularly in capital-intensive sectors such as energy, engineering and manufacturing.

Beyond participation

Nigeria’s local content agenda is also part of a broader effort to build an industrial base capable of retaining more economic value within the country.

Other resource-producing countries have pursued similar approaches. Brazil has used local-content requirements to support domestic procurement and supplier development, while Malaysia’s PETRONAS has operated vendor-development programmes to strengthen local oil and gas suppliers. Ghana’s local-content framework also emphasises technology and skills transfer to indigenous companies.

In Nigeria, the NCDMB’s 10-Year Strategic Roadmap sets an ambition of raising Nigerian Content to 70 per cent by 2027.

Achieving that target will require more than increasing the number of Nigerian companies participating in projects. It will also depend on developing technical expertise, strengthening local supply chains and expanding the range of complex work that can be delivered domestically.

Dorman Long Engineering’s experience in fabrication, offshore project support and technical training illustrates how indigenous firms can contribute to that process.

The broader challenge for Nigeria is to ensure that local content translates into lasting industrial capacity, skilled employment and greater retention of value within the domestic economy.