Despite mounting challenges that limit their capacity utilisation, some indigenous Nigerian companies have remained resilient and competitive  making visible impact in the nation’s industrialisation drive. One of such companies is Dorman Long Engineering Limited, a leader in the engineering and fabrication sector that exemplifies what indigenous firms can achieve when given the ooportunity, Peter Uzoho writes

Nigeria’s industrial future rests on a paradox. The country is rich in talent, ambition, and natural resources, yet its most critical infrastructure is too often built by outsiders. From bridges to oil platforms, foreign firms still dominate the projects that shape Nigeria’s economy, leaving local expertise underutilised. The result is a cycle in which billions of dollars flow out of the country each year, while the domestic capacity to design and deliver at scale struggles for recognition.
This dependence comes at a steep price. According to UN COMTRADE data, Nigeria imported almost $272 million worth of iron and steel in 2023, a figure that captures only raw materials and not the services or finished structures tied to major projects. By early 2025, the Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu, warned that the true import bill was closer to $4 billion annually. Behind those numbers lies a deeper cost: a missed opportunity to create jobs, train young engineers, and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial ecosystem from within.

THE COST OF LOOKING ELSEWHERE
Nigeria’s infrastructure needs are vast. The government estimates that the country requires between $100 billion and $150 billion annually, with experts projecting $3 trillion over 30 years to close the infrastructure gap. That scale of demand is not only a challenge but also an opportunity: if even a fraction of this investment were retained in-country, the effects on employment, industrial capacity, and long-term growth would be transformative.
When infrastructure investment remains within Nigeria, the ripple effects can be transformational.  Beyond bricks and steel, such projects become engines for employment, skills transfer, and economic resilience. Consider Nigeria’s upcoming LNG Train 7 expansion—once complete, this $6.5 billion project is expected to generate 52,000 jobs, including 12,000 direct and 40,000 indirect positions.
Meanwhile, the Imota Rice Mill, poised to be sub-Saharan Africa’s largest, is projected to create 1,500 direct jobs and 254,000 indirect roles.
Examples like this show what’s possible when investment translates into local capacity. The same principle applies to the engineering and fabrication sector, where indigenous firms are proving they can deliver world-class results when given the chance.
PROVING POSSIBILITY
Consider the case of Dorman Long Engineering Limited, a company that exemplifies what indigenous firms can achieve when given the chance. Established in Nigeria in 1949, Dorman Long began as a bridge builder in colonial times and has since evolved into a modern engineering powerhouse.
Over the decades, its steel and fabrication work has touched nearly every corner of the Nigerian economy, from energy to transport to communications. The company’s portfolio includes some of the nation’s most critical assets. It provided structural steel for landmark bridges such as the First Niger Bridge and the Eko Bridge, both of which remain vital arteries of trade and mobility.
In the oil and gas sector, Dorman Long fabricated the Madu Conductor Supported Platform, the first oil drilling platform ever built entirely on Nigerian soil, a milestone that proved offshore engineering need not be imported. Its expertise has extended to refineries, LNG plants, and storage facilities that anchor the country’s energy backbone, as well as telecoms towers and transmission structures that connect millions of Nigerians to power and communications.

SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO CAPACITY BUILDING
What makes Dorman Long’s trajectory significant is its systematic approach to capability building. In 2009, the company installed Nigeria’s first heavy engineering quality hot-dip galvanising facility, filling a critical gap in the domestic supply chain. The company’s ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certifications provide the quality assurance that global clients demand.
Over the past three years, Dorman Long Engineering Limited has trained an average of 237 individuals across professional and vocational fields such as welding, scaffolding, electrical engineering, project management, civil works, and ICT. Beneficiaries have included students on industrial training, corps members, internal staff, and youths from host communities.
In partnership with the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and in line with the Nigerian Content Human Capacity Development (HCD) Guideline, the company also delivered a 12-month training scheme at the Mudiame Welding Institute in Irrua, Edo State. Conducted between August 2021 and August 2022, the programme equipped 40 participants—8 in professional disciplines and 32 in vocational areas—with practical skills and industry exposure for future careers.
Building on this record, Dorman Long, in 2025, signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE). The agreement commits the company to advancing professional training, strengthening local content, and embedding Nigerian engineers in major infrastructure projects. It reflects the company’s vision of being more than a contractor—serving instead as a custodian of Nigeria’s industrial future.
The company has also taken deliberate steps to reduce its environmental impact and contribute to the sustainable development of society, placing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations at the core of how it creates value. As a leading provider of oilfield equipment, structural steel, marine structures engineering, and fabrication, the company actively monitors its greenhouse gas emissions and implements strategies to cut waste, improve resource efficiency, and promote environmental conservation.
These efforts reflect Dorman Long’s belief that industrial progress must go hand in hand with responsible growth and environmental stewardship.

CREATING INDUSTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
The impact of supporting indigenous engineering firms extends beyond individual projects. When local companies handle major infrastructure work, entire supply chains strengthen. Companies like Dorman Long have spent decades building trust through consistent performance.
Their seventy-five-year presence demonstrates not only resilience, but also the cumulative investment in skills, knowledge, and capital that anchor an authentic industrial ecosystem. It shows that Nigeria’s future does not have to rest on imported expertise but can be secured by institutions that have grown with the country, trained its people, and reinvested consistently in its economy.

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