Tech investment, industry collaboration vital to energy growth — Coleman

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Coleman Technical Industries Limited, George Onafowokan, has called for increased investment in technology and stronger collaboration across the oil and gas value chain to boost innovation, improve efficiency and strengthen Nigeria’s manufacturing capacity.

According to a statement, Onafowokan made the call while speaking on the theme, ‘Driving Energy Innovation: Technology-Powered Pathways for Oil and Gas’, during a panel session at the 25th NOG Energy Week Conference and Exhibition held recently in Lagos.

He said technology had become the defining force shaping the future of the global energy industry, adding that manufacturing had evolved from being labour-intensive to technology-driven through automation and digital systems.

Onafowokan said, “Today, through automation and technologies such as programmable logic controllers, we have embedded quality assurance, quality control and health, safety and compliance into our production processes while significantly improving efficiency.”

He explained that modern production systems allow a single operator to manage equipment that previously required several workers, while advances in artificial intelligence and automation had shortened product design cycles, improved value engineering and enhanced pricing competitiveness.

The Coleman boss said the company’s investment in technology had enabled it to manufacture specialised products locally that were previously imported.

Onafowokan said, “We are now the default producer of VFD cables for that international oil company, supplying its offshore facilities on a monthly basis. This demonstrates the long-term value of investing in technology despite the high initial costs.”

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According to the industrialist, Coleman recently designed and produced a Variable Frequency Drive cable for an international oil company within four weeks, reducing the conventional six-month delivery timeline.

He also stressed that collaboration among manufacturers, technology firms, international oil companies and indigenous operators remained critical to building a more competitive energy industry.

Onafowokan said, “The adoption and evolution of technology are not cheap, but the long-term value is enormous. As efficiency improves, productivity increases, competitiveness grows, and the investment ultimately delivers stronger returns.”

He urged stakeholders to invest more in Manufacturing Execution Systems and pursue collaborative initiatives that would reduce the cost of technology adoption across industries.

Onafowokan also encouraged organisations to incorporate technology development into their corporate social responsibility programmes to support innovation and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial ecosystem.

Other panellists at the session included GIL Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Gbolahan Lawal; Group General Manager, Commercial and Business Development, Oilserv Group, Cheta Okwuosa; Chief Executive Officer of Tolusi, Tosin Joel; and Transformation Manager at Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Dilys-Ann Owen.