Driving growth through local expertise and infrastructure

Nigeria

Bolutife Odusanya, CEO and managing director of TREXM Holdings, and Ohiozoje Akhibi, COO of TREXM Chemicals, talk to The Energy Year about aligning engineering and chemical services with Nigeria’s energy needs and the group's strategy to localise key oilfield operations and talent development.

TREXM Holdings provides integrated engineering, chemical and energy solutions across Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain.

• Localisation is becoming a strategic priority in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. There is a push to develop in-country capabilities across engineering, production and maintenance to reduce reliance on foreign providers and improve operational efficiency.
• Oil and gas operators in Nigeria are seeking to streamline their operations and increasingly favour partners that can deliver end-to-end solutions.
• Talent development is critical for long-term competitiveness in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, and market-leading service providers are investing in structured training programmes to upskill their talent.

How did TREXM come to be recognised by the Financial Times as one of Africa’s fastest-growing companies?
Bolutife ODUSANYA: That recognition is a reflection of the collective efforts of every single person at TREXM. It’s not an individual award – it’s the result of consistent performance across the business. Every task done right by every team member adds up, and eventually that consistency shows up in our revenues, profits, and sometimes public accolades.
But our validation doesn’t come from awards. It comes from our customers. More than 70% of our clients are repeat customers, and that says more about our impact than any publication. It shows that what we do matters and that we’re delivering real value.
We are structured as a holding company with multiple operating entities. Chemicals is currently our fastest-growing business. It began in 2021 and was relatively unknown, but today we’re among the top two or three in most of our categories. That growth is thanks to the dedication and expertise of the team running it, not me. It’s a shared journey, built by shared efforts. As they say, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

What major developments have occurred in the past 18 months in your operations?
Ohiozoje AKHIBI: One major focus has been expanding our facilities to meet not only current but future customer needs. In the oil and gas sector, timing is crucial. Customers need solutions quickly, and we’re building infrastructure to anticipate their needs in both the short and long term.
We’re also investing heavily in people. Hiring is not just about bringing in experienced professionals; we’re also training top graduates, giving them in-house and external certifications, and exposing them to all areas of the business. From day one, they learn to think like managers, understand cross-departmental functions, and avoid tunnel vision.
Beyond people and facilities, we’re strengthening our local production capabilities. We partner with global OEMs, but we’re also creating infrastructure to execute projects in-country. We aim to deeply understand our customers’ needs and consistently exceed expectations. Our overarching ambition is to become the preferred partner for all our clients.

How are your business units – including engineering and chemicals – aligned with industry needs?
BO: We’re a one-stop shop chemical solutions provider. We have the largest installed capacity for drilling and completion fluids. We also blend fit-for-purpose production chemicals tailored to each client’s needs. Our offerings span gas treatment and refining chemicals, and we serve major clients such as Shell.
In our flagship TREXM Energy business, we focus on metering and measurement, which are essential to understanding production performance. We’re also leaders in integrated control and safety systems, helping clients automate and future-proof their operations. These systems help reduce operational costs while enhancing safety and reliability.
In engineering, our strategy is specialisation. We’re addressing underinvestment in Nigeria’s EPC segment by developing solutions for early production facilities to bridge immediate output with long-life infrastructure, water treatment for high-water-content wells and rotating equipment maintenance such as pumps, compressors and turbines. These are critical to enabling production and distribution. Currently, Nigeria lacks adequate capacity, especially for level two and three maintenance, which is still done abroad. Our goal is to localise level one and two maintenance of this equipment, and to that end, we are building a maintenance shop in Port Harcourt.
Across all business lines, our focus isn’t just on winning contracts – it’s on becoming a partner of choice by delivering high-value services in areas essential to customer goals.

What makes your approach to talent development unique?
BO: We don’t view our people simply as local hires. The talent in Nigeria is world-class – many have gone abroad and led major operations in Saudi Arabia or the Gulf of Mexico. We’re not investing in local content for the sake of it. We’re investing in the best people who happen to be Nigerian.
I hesitate to call it local content. That term sometimes implies a ceiling on capability. But there is no ceiling. Our facilities are in Nigeria, yes. Our people are Nigerian, yes. But their expertise and impact are global. We have a country of 200 million highly educated and clever people – they just need opportunity. And when you match that with investment and responsibility, you get excellence.
Our graduate training programmes place young engineers directly into responsible roles. They learn hands-on, supported by our best professionals. With the right mentorship and the right systems, they rise quickly. Our people, systems, and infrastructure are best in class – and that’s what allows us to build partnerships that last.

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