Indigenous oilfield services firm, Sepha Energies, has executed more than 30 upstream oil and gas projects within one year of its strategic transition, doubling its workforce from 25 to 50 professionals and expanding operations across four locations, even as it renews calls for improved access to financing for indigenous service companies to deepen Nigeria’s local content drive.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sepha Energies, Engr. Sandra Ekpe Agho, disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Nigerian Annual International Conference and Exhibition (NAICE) of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Lagos, where she reflected on a year of rapid growth for one of the few women-owned and women-led oil and gas service companies in Nigeria.
“Last year, I stood here asking the industry to believe in Sepha. Today, I stand here thanking the industry for believing in us,” Agho said.
She noted that the confidence reposed in the company by clients had translated into measurable business expansion, job creation, fresh investment, and stronger indigenous technical capacity. Beyond the 30 projects already completed, more than 10 additional projects are currently in the pipeline, with the company simultaneously delivering over five service lines across its four operational locations.
Rig Investment and Growing Technical Capacity
Agho identified the award of a 2,000-horsepower, 10,000 PSI land rig contract as a defining turning point in the company’s growth trajectory, describing it as a vote of confidence in Sepha’s competence and technical capability. She said the successful execution of that contract went on to strengthen confidence among financial institutions, enabling the company to invest in strategic assets, including a 2,000-horsepower, 10,000 PSI land rig and a 460,000-pound, 10,000 PSI Dolly Walkover unit.
The company has also secured access to one of the world’s leading 3,000-horsepower, 15,000 PSI swamp drilling rigs, which can be mobilised into Nigeria within three months alongside an experienced international operating crew, a development Agho said positions Sepha for even larger-scale upstream engagements going forward.
The Case for Indigenous Financing
While expressing optimism about the company’s future growth, Agho stressed that indigenous capacity development cannot be sustained without adequate indigenous financing.
“We cannot build indigenous capacity without indigenous capital,” she said. “If local content is to reach its full potential, indigenous service companies must have access to sustainable financing that enables us to invest, innovate and compete globally.”
She also highlighted Sepha Energies’ support for several Nigerian marginal field operators, revealing that the company had helped some operators achieve first oil without requiring upfront payment, an arrangement built on mutual trust, with operators honouring their financial commitments within agreed timelines. Agho described the experience as proof of the value of collaboration among operators, service companies, financial institutions and government in driving growth across Nigeria’s petroleum industry.
Overcoming the First Hurdle
Reflecting on the company’s journey, Agho said the greatest challenge was never operating as a women-owned business, but securing the first opportunity to prove its competence.
“The biggest risk in our journey was never being a woman-owned company. The biggest risk was whether someone would give us our first opportunity. Opportunity may open a door, but only execution can keep it open,” she said.
She expressed appreciation to indigenous and international operators and industry partners, including Platform Petroleum, Formation Drilling, EOP Energy, Oando, Hilong, NEPL, TotalEnergies, Pillar Oil, Matrix Energy, and Seplat Energy, for their confidence in the company. She also acknowledged the role of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in promoting policies that strengthen local content and support indigenous participation in the oil and gas industry, and thanked technology partners SLB, Halliburton, Weatherford and Welltec, as well as financial institutions FirstBank and Sterling Bank, for supporting the company’s expansion.
Commending the Society of Petroleum Engineers for providing a platform that amplifies the voices of indigenous companies, Agho noted that Sepha Energies attended NAICE last year with a vision, and returned this year with measurable results.
She concluded by emphasising that Nigeria’s energy future would be shaped by collaboration among government, financial institutions, technology providers and indigenous companies working together to build a globally competitive energy industry.
