Akume urges indigenous firms to leverage Nigeria’s First Policy as Sole want Group hosts Africa Energy Summit

By Dotun Akintunde

The President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy has received a significant boost, as preparations for the 9th Africa Energy Summit, scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from November 27–28, 2025, hit top gear. This is coming against the backdrop of call by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who  urged indigenous oil firms to take advantage of the initiative

The development emerged on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to Senator Akume by the Managing Director and Founder of Solewant Group, Solomon Ewanehi, whose company is hosting the continental summit, according to a statement by by Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information and Public Relations, Office of the SGF.

Tinubu’s Nigeria First Policy also aims to foster industrialisation through strict local content rules in government procurement. The policy requires agencies to buy ‘Nigerian first,’ while waivers are allowed only for genuinely unavailable items.

Speaking when Mr. Ewanehi paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, Akume called on indigenous companies across all sectors of the economy to leverage the full potential of the policy. He described it as a strategic initiative designed to promote local content, stimulate economic growth, and strengthen Nigerian industries for development.

Akume reaffirmed the Tinubu-led administration’s commitment to creating 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.

He said the policy was already yielding positive results across key sectors and urged Nigerian companies to take full advantage of the opportunities it provides.

“The Tinubu-led administration remains committed to creating a conducive environment for local industries to flourish. Indigenous companies must leverage the Nigeria First Policy to reduce our reliance on imports and build a stronger domestic economy,” Akume said.

Akume also commended Ewanehi for taking bold steps to harness divestment opportunities created by foreign International Oil Companies (IOCs) by investing in the oil and gas sector with steel pipes, metal fabrication, and specialised coating solutions. The former governor of Benue State and erstwhile Minister  also rallied support for the Africa Energy Summit.

On his part, Ewanehi said his company is expanding its operations across steel pipe production, coating materials, coating products, and supply of coated pipes to the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and across Africa. He added that Solewant Group aligns with the federal government’s directives 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 informed the SGF of the company’s plan to host the 9th Africa Energy Summit in Port Harcourt.

Recall that Ewanehi was among global oil and gas industry players, including 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 CEO of Seplat, Mr. Roger Brown, who attended the recent NUPRC Roadshow in Dorchester, London.

Other industry leaders in attendance included Chairman of AA Holdings, Austin Avuru; Chairman of the 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 aimed to accelerate Nigeria’s goal of producing an additional 1 million barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) through innovation and collaboration. Ewanehi highlighted transparency, innovation, collaboration, and emerging technologies as key drivers for the growth of Africa’s energy sector.

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According to an interview of his aired on ARISE News Channel, Ewanehi disclosed that international investors were given assurances by federal lawmakers and regulators on robust legal frameworks to protect investments inh Nigeria.

Earlier at the roadshow, NUPRC’s CCE, Komolafe, announced the commencement of the 2025 licensing round from December 1, 2025. Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Alhassan Doguwa, assured investors that his committee would not push legislation undermining investments and reaffirmed that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021 would not be tampered with arbitrarily. His counterpart in the Senate, Senator Eteng Williams, also restated the legislature’s commitment to business-friendly laws.

Similarly, Ewanehi was among leading professionals who attended the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2025 in Houston, Texas, USA, from May 5–8. As a key player in the global oil and gas industry, Solewant Group unveiled advanced technologies, demonstrating leadership in technological, humanitarian, environmental, and industrial solutions.

The company also showcased innovations at the 4th Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2025) in Algiers, Algeria, convened by Afreximbank.

Importantly, Solewant Group participated in the recently concluded high-level roundtable on the Gulf of Guinea’s energy, Oil & Gas,  Aviation, Minerals and  maritime opportunities during the 80th UN General Assembly session in New York, USA with the theme: “Unlocking Energy, Oil & Gas, Minerals, Aviation and Maritime Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea.”

The roundtable, convened by The New Diplomat, an Abuja-based policy think tank and International Communications firm, in collaboration with the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), Angola, drew global thought leaders, including H.E. Prof Ibrahim Gambari, former Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister and erstwhile UN Under-Secretary General; H.E. Ghada Fathy Waly, former Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity and currently Executive Director of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC )/D-G UN office in Austria; H.E. Amb Emmanuella Blatmann, former France Ambassador to Nigeria and current Head of Africa Division, France’s MFA, Paris; Mr Lateef Fagbemi,  SAN,  Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice;  Ambassador Oma Djebah,  former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Thailand and Convener of the High-level Roundtable, H.E. Senator Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State; H.E. Governor Dauda Lawal, Governor of Zamfara State;  Dr Dele Alake, Honourable Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, minister of Industry,  Trade and Investment;  Ambassador Rita Laranjinha,  Portugal’s Special Envoy to Africa and former Portuguese Ambassador to Denmark;  Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; Ambassador Kio Solomon Amieyeofor,  former Deputy Director General at the Nigerian Presidency; Mr Johnson Babalola,  A Canadian Corporate and Immigration Lawyer based in Toronto; Amb. Obinna Agbugba of GCC; the 21st Indigenous Chief of the Naval Staff, Nigerian Navy,   Vice Admiral A.Z. Gambo (rtd), Ambassador Samson Itegboje,  Charge d’ Affairs of the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington DC and the Permanent Mission of Nigeria in New York, amongst others.

Solewant Group also displayed its technological capabilities at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF 2025) at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where Ewanehi unveiled the Solewant Group Roadmap Plus to further boost technological innovation and industrial development.

Experts say Solewant remains a pioneer in pipeline coating, fabrication, and asset integrity management in Nigeria. Its industrial park at Alode-Onne includes one of Africa’s most advanced multi-layer pipe coating plants, a dedicated pipe bends multi-layer coating plant (commissioned mid-2025 with Euro-American OEM partners), and full steel pipe milling capabilities.

Solewant Group’s annual summit typically attracts policymakers, energy executives, development partners, and researchers from across Africa and beyond. The 9th edition, scheduled for November 27–28, 2025, at the Solewant Industrial Park in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is themed “Emerging Technologies and the Future of Sustainable Energy Development in Africa.”

The summit is expected to highlight transformative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, automation, data analytics, and other digital innovations reshaping Africa’s energy transition. Key features include: Paper presentations from industry leaders and government representatives; Strategic panel discussions on technology and energy integration; Technical presentations and keynote messages from NNPC, IOCs, and EPC companies; Exhibitions of intelligent energy solutions and case studies from Africa and beyond; Capacity-building workshops and networking opportunities and Launch of the Africa Energy Innovation Network (AEIN)

The summit is expected to facilitate partnerships and funding cooperation and architecture for energy infrastructure, manufacturing, renewable projects, and technology-driven ventures, while strengthening local content and capacity development frameworks. Outstanding organisations and individuals contributing to Africa’s industrial and energy advancement will be recognised, while promoting excellence, innovation, and leadership across the sector.

•Akintunde, a Communications Strategist, wrote from Lagos.