Hot SourceLawal Adeniyi
President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to boost Nigeria’s domestic economy by prioritizing locally made goods and services, and reducing import dependency by stimulating local production through the ‘Nigeria First Policy, received a boost on Wednesday as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume threw his weight behind the efforts of Solewant Group and other Nigerian companies to develop adequate indigenous manpower and facilities.
Tinubu’s Nigeria first policy also aims to foster industrialisation through strict local content rules in government procurement.
This policy requires agencies to buy ‘Nigerian first’, while there are waivers for genuinely unavailable items.
Speaking when the Group Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Solewant Group, Mr. Solomon Ewanehi, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, Akume called on indigenous companies across all sectors of the economy to leverage on the full potentials of the Nigeria First Policy, which he described as a strategic initiative designed to promote local content, stimulate economic growth and strengthen Nigerian industries for economic development.
Akume reaffirmed the commitment of the Tinubu-led administration to create a conducive environment for Nigerian businesses to flourish through the policy, which he said is yielding positive results
He charged Solewant Group and other indigenous companies to take advantage of the policy to reduce the nation’s dependency on imported products and services.
Akume commended Ewanehi for taking bold steps towards harnessing the divestment opportunities created by foreign International Oil Companies (IOCs) by investing in the oil and gas sectors with steel pipes, metal fabrication, and specialised coating solutions.
The former governor of Benue State also rallied support for Solewant Group’s 9th Africa Energy Summit billed for November 27–28, 2025 in Port Harcourt.
Speaking earlier, Ewanehi said that his company is spreading its tentacles across the production of steel pipe, coating materials and coating products as well as supply of coated pipe to oil and gas industry in Nigeria and across Africa.
He also added that his company is working in line with the federal government’s marching order to the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) and other industry stakeholders to support initiatives aimed at significantly increasing the nation’s crude oil production.
He also informed the SGF of the company’s plan to host the 9th Africa Energy Summit.
Solewant Group is a global leader in the provision of steel pipes, pipe coating solutions, metal fabrication, manufacturing and supply of specialty protective paints, and specialty coating application solutions.
Ewanehi was among the global oil and gas industry players, including the Managing Director of TotalEnergies Nigeria, Mattieu Bouyer; Managing Director of ExxonMobil Nigeria, Jagir Baxi; Commission Chief Executive (CCE) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Seplat, Mr. Roger Brown, who were in Dorchester, London, for NUPRC’s Roadshow held recently.
Other industry leaders who showed strong presence include: Chairman of AA Holdings, Austin Avuru; and the Chairman of Governing Board, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mr. Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, and federal lawmakers.
Tagged: “Project 1MMBOPD’ Additional Production Investment Forum”, the two-day event was aimed at accelerating Nigeria’s goal of producing an additional 1 million barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) through innovation and collaboration.
At the event, he listed transparency, innovation, collaboration, and emerging technologies as key drivers necessary for the growth of Africa’s energy sector.
Sharing insights on the roadshow in an interview on ARISE News Channel, Ewanehi had disclosed that international investors at the event sought and were given assurances by federal lawmakers and regulators on adequate robust legal framework to give investors comfort and protect investments in Nigeria.
Earlier at the roadshow, the CCE of NUPRC, Komolafe had announced the commencement of the 2025 licensing round from December 1, 2025.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Alhassan Doguwa, promised investors that his committee would not push any legislation that would undermine investments, adding that the PIA of 2021 would not be tampered with arbitrarily.
Similarly, his counterpart in the Senate, Senator Eteng Williams, also restated the commitment of Nigeria’s legislature to business-friendly laws and urged investors not to fret.
Ewanehi was also among the leading professionals and solution providers in the global oil and gas industry who gathered in Houston, Texas, in the United States of America (USA) for the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2025 from May 5 to 8.
As one of the companies making the major technological, humanitarian, environmental, and leadership contributions to the global oil and gas industry, Solewant Group unveiled the latest and most advanced technologies at the event.
The company was also among Africa’s most innovative businesses across multiple sectors that converged at the SAFEX Building in Algiers, Algeria, for the 4th edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025).
The company showcased cutting-edge technologies and its robust portfolio of subsidiaries at IATF 2025, which was convened by Afreximbank.
Solewant Group also joined other global players in the oil and gas, as well as maritime industries to dissect Gulf of Guinea’s (GoG) energy, maritime and investment prospects at a high-level roundtable on the sidelines of the recent 80th Session of UN General Assembly (UNGA 80) in New York, United States.
In his goodwill message at the high-level roundtable, Ewanehi had noted that the GoG is richly endowed and strategically vital.
The company also showcased its technological innovations at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) 2025, held at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
At the conference, Ewanehi announced the unveiling of ‘Solewant Group Roadmap Plus’ to deepen its advancement in technological innovation and also boost its contributions to Nigeria’s industrial development and energy transition.
The unveiling of the ‘Solewant Group Roadmap Plus’ was part of the company’s renewed commitment to its 10-year strategic vision.
Meanwhile, in demonstration of its commitment to technological innovations in the African oil and gas industry, the company will focus on transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, automation, data analytics, and other digital innovations in this year’s annual energy summit, convened by Solewant Energy Training Institute (SETI).
The company has not only sustained leadership in pipeline coating, fabrication, and asset integrity management across Nigeria- it continues to pioneer new frontiers in industrial and energy infrastructure development. Its industrial park at Alode-Onne now includes one of Africa’s most advanced multi-layer pipe coating plants, a dedicated pipe bends multi-layer coating plant (commissioned in mid-2025) developed in partnership with Euro-American OEMs, and full steel pipe milling capabilities.
The annual summit attracts policymakers, energy executives, DFIs, development partners, and researchers from across Africa and the rest of the world, who brainstorm on strategies for building a sustainable and technologically advanced energy future for Africa continent.
This year’s summit, the 9th in the series, is scheduled to take place from November 27–28, 2025, at the Solewant Industrial Park, Alode-Onne, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Nigeria from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.
Themed “Emerging Technologies and the Future of Sustainable Energy Development in Africa,” the 2025 summit seeks to spotlight how transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, automation, data analytics, and other digital innovations are redefining the frontiers of Africa’s energy transition.
Key highlights of the summit include: Key paper presentations from industry leaders and government representatives; strategic panel discussions on technology and energy integration; technical presentations and emerging research and keynote messages from NNPC, IOCs, and EPC companies.
Other key highlights include: exhibitions of intelligent energy solutions; case studies from Across Africa and beyond; capacity-building workshops and networking opportunities.
The summit will facilitate new partnerships and funding pledges between governments, investors, and private sector players- unlocking capital for energy infrastructure, manufacturing, renewable projects, and technology-driven ventures across Africa.
There will also be a launch of the “Africa Energy Innovation Network (AEIN)”
The summit will also strengthen Local Content and Capacity Development Frameworks.
Through policy dialogues and technical sessions, the summit will produce actionable recommendations to deepen local participation, enhance industrial skills, and strengthen indigenous technology deployment in the oil, gas, and renewable sectors.
Outstanding organisations and individuals contributing to Africa’s industrial and energy advancement will be celebrated, inspiring excellence, innovation, and leadership across the sector.
.Adeniyi, an oil and gas expert and public affairs analyst writes from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State
