2025: Solewant Group Promoting Nigerian Content Development, Technological Innovations on Global Map

Olusola Adeoye

With the strong presence of Solewant Group at international oil, gas and maritime sectors’ events in 2025 where it showcased technological innovations, the company has continued to boost the efforts of the federal government in promoting Nigerian content development on the global map.

In 2025, the company participated in several international events in Houston, Texas, United States; New York, also in the United States; Algiers in Algeria; and Dorchester in London, United Kingdom, among others.

Established 25 years ago, Solewant Group has delivered high-impact projects to international oil companies (IOCs) and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies.

The company has successfully delivered world-class projects on schedule, including steel pipe manufacturing, anti-corrosion and mechanical protection for steel pipes, pipeline field joint protection, and pipe fabrication operations. This strong track record has established the company as a leading African supplier of coated steel pipes to the oil and gas industry.

Its state-of-the-art industrial park is Africa’s largest pipe coating facility, spanning 156,000 square meters in Alode, Eleme Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State.

With the commissioning of an ultra-modern Pipe Bend Multi-Layer Pipe Coating Plant by the company in July 2025, the company’s state-of-the-art industrial park and Africa’s largest-pipe coating facility, became a game changer in the federal government’s efforts to make Nigeria the hub of steel pipe fabrication and coating in Africa.

The company proudly represented Nigeria at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, from May 5 to 8, 2025, where it showcased innovative oil and gas products and solutions. OTC is a consortium of 15 non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting the global energy sector.

On May 6, the company’s Group Executive Director, Mr. Matthew Aganren, delivered a presentation on behalf of Group Chief Executive Officer Mr. Solomon Ewanehi at the company’s exhibition booth in the Nigerian pavilion. The presentation was attended by senior government and industry officials, including the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), members of the National Assembly, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, managing directors from international oil companies and Nigerian independent operators, as well as representatives from the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) and the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN).

Speaking during the presentation, Ewanehi had noted that the company, which excelled in manufacturing and supply of steel pipes, metals, fabrication and specialty coating solutions for 25years, was entering the next phase of its extensive development through a series of investments and expansions.

The company also attracted global attention as a leading exhibitor at the fourth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025) in Algiers, Algeria. The event, organized by Afreximbank and held at the SAFEX Building from September 4 to 10, 2025, brought together Africa’s most innovative businesses across multiple sectors.

Nigeria’s leading pipe production, coating and energy sector solutions provider showcased cutting-edge technologies and its robust portfolio of subsidiaries at the event. The fair attracted 35,000 participants and 2,000 exhibitors, and secured a record-breaking $48.2 billion in trade and investment deals.

A major highlight of the company’s participation was the high-profile visits to its exhibition booth.

Some of the prominent dignitaries who stopped by included former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi.

These distinguished guests engaged the company’s team with questions on the Group’s value addition to Africa’s energy and infrastructure sectors, particularly in steel pipe manufacturing, advanced pipeline coating technologies, protective paints, fabrication services, and Human Capital Development.

The company’s Group Managing Director/CEO and delegation leader, Mr. Ewanehi, provided compelling insights into how the company became a trusted champion in Nigerian Content Development, bridging gaps in technology, capacity and industrial excellence. “Our commitment is not only to deliver world-class coated pipes, fabrication, and specialty protective solutions but also to deepen indigenous capacity through training and technology transfer. We see Solewant as a vehicle for Africa’s self-reliance in energy and infrastructure,” Ewanehi was quoted as saying.

In September 2025, the company joined senior government officials and 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 80th Session of UN General Assembly (UNGA 80) in New York, United States.

With over $800 billion in energy and infrastructure opportunities, the GoG occupies a strategic position in the global economic architecture, as an emerging critical gateway for investment, trade, and security cooperation.

The top-notch roundtable themed: “Unlocking Energy, Oil & Gas, Minerals and Maritime Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea: A Roadmap for Peace and Security,” was convened by The New Diplomat, a non-partisan policy think tank based in Abuja, in collaboration with the Luanda-based Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) to deepen international engagement on peace and security.

In his goodwill message at the high-level roundtable, Solewant Group’s founder, Ewanehi told the international audience that “Solewant Group speaks to the role indigenous companies can play. For Over 25 years we have invested in people, plants and products, including commissioning what is widely reported as West Africa’s largest multi-layer pipe-coating facility, to strengthen local content, job creation, and supply-chain resilience for energy and infrastructure projects. These investments validate that when security and financing frameworks are aligned, African firms are fully capable of delivering high-quality industrial capacity that meets global standards,” he added.

According to him, the company is actively translating regional interests into concrete partnerships, showcasing advanced technologies, and engaging governments and investors at major global fora.

Following the outcome of the roundtable, Ewanehi was honoured in Abuja with an award last December for his outstanding contributions to peace and sustainable development in the Gulf of Guinea.

The company also showed a strong presence when global oil and gas industry players, including the Managing Director of TotalEnergies Nigeria, Mattieu Bouyer; Managing Director of ExxonMobil Nigeria, Jagir Baxi; and the then Commission Chief Executive (CCE) of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, gathered in Dorchester, London, for NUPRC’s Roadshow held from November 11 to 12, 2025.

Other industry leaders at the event include: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Seplat, Mr. Roger Brown; Chairman of AA Holdings, Austin Avuru; Chairman of Governing Board, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mr. Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, and some federal lawmakers.

At the event, Ewanehi had listed transparency, innovation, collaboration, and emerging technologies as key drivers necessary for the growth of Africa’s energy sector.

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.

Speaking on the outcome of the event, Ewanehi had told ARISE Television that international investors at the event sought and were given assurances by federal lawmakers and regulators on an adequate robust legal framework to give investors comfort and protect investments.

Despite these international engagements where it exhibited emerging technologies and promoted Nigerian content development, the company was also a leading participant in local conferences and exhibitions, including the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) 2025, held at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The company also hosted its 9th annual energy summit from November 27 – 28, which attracted policymakers, energy executives, financiers, development partners, and researchers from across Africa and the rest of the world, at the Solewant Industrial Park, Alode, Eleme, Rivers State.

Themed: “Emerging Technologies and the Future of Sustainable Energy Development in Africa,” the 2025 summit focused on 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.

Looking ahead to 2026, Ewanehi outlined the company’s strategic direction, emphasizing its role as an industrial powerhouse positioned to serve Africa’s energy sector.

“We are gearing up in terms of capacity generation, local content development and infrastructure divestment in oil, gas, energy and water sector resources. Our Roadmap Plus is a 10-year industrial development roadmap envisioned to crystallize major energy sector breakthroughs across Africa. At the moment, we are mobilising financial resources to support pipeline projects across Africa; this will absorb DFI capital, create jobs, and build durable local value chains,” he had explained.

………Adeola, an oil and gas analyst, writes from Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.