Solewant GCEO calls for security frameworks to unlock Gulf of Guinea’s $800bn energy potential

The strategic link between maritime security and industrial investment in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) took centre stage at a high-level roundtable on the sidelines of the recent 80th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 80), with a focus on translating regional goodwill into binding action.

Mr. Solomon Ewanehi, Founder and Group Managing Director/CEO of Solewant Group, delivered a key goodwill message, stressing that the GoG's potential estimated at over $800 billion in energy and infrastructure opportunities remains hostage to insecurity and insufficient governance.

The event, 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 in collaboration with the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC).

Speaking, Ewanehi acknowledged that security frameworks, such as the Yaoundé Code of Conduct (2013), exist as a foundation for cooperation against illicit activities like piracy and oil theft.

However, he declared that these frameworks urgently require a strengthened legal status, harmonised enforcement, and operational capacity to genuinely protect regional trade and restore investor confidence at scale.

The private sector, Ewanehi noted, views predictable security as essential, cautioning that without it, investment and local industrial progress will remain constrained.

While welcoming Nigeria's renewed proposal to host a Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF) in Lagos as a healthy reflection of commitment, he pointed out the critical need for sustained political will and funding to operationalise such efforts.

Citing the role of indigenous industrial players, the Solewant GMD showcased his company’s quarter-century investment, which includes what is reported as Africa’s largest multi-layer pipe-coating facility.

He argued that such investments validate that African firms are fully capable of meeting global standards, but only when security and financing frameworks are aligned.

To convert the GoG’s "transformational economic prize" into reality, Ewanehi laid out a clear call to action, urging regional leaders to accelerate practical support for the CMTF/African Standby Force (ASF) in the form of logistics, funding, and coordinated air/sea lift to allow private capital to be deployed with confidence.He also stressed the need to formalise and operationalise existing maritime cooperation frameworks, moving the Yaoundé Code from "good intent to binding, enforceable practice."

Furthermore, he recommended security measures that include clear local content and financing pathways, ensuring that the African oil and gas and maritime industries scale up in lockstep with infrastructure investment.

Concluding his address, Ewanehi pledged Solewant Group's readiness to collaborate with governments, DFIs, and multilateral institutions to convert security gains into sustainable economic opportunity.

He charged the participants: "Let the Gulf of Guinea be remembered not for what holds us back, but for what it propels us toward: Shared prosperity, secure trade corridors, and a resilient African industrial future."