Business
Double Honours for ‘Gas King’ Julius Rone
Chief Executive Officer of UTM Offshore, Julius Rone, has kickstarted the year 2026 on a high note as he has won two significant awards, New Telegraph Personality of the Year 2025 and The Sun Newspaper’s Investor of the Year thereby cementing his status as a transformative force in Nigeria’s energy landscape.
Dubbed the “Gas King,” Rone’s recognition stems from his leadership of Nigeria’s inaugural Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) project, a groundbreaking initiative set to reshape the nation’s position in global energy markets.
The energy tycoon possesses an unrivalled genius and profound understanding of investment is consistently making headlines and staying ahead of his peers while his remarkable qualities have set him far apart from ordinary business magnates across the continent.
His presence in the gas sector has been a dominating force, leaving an ineffaceable mark wherever he ventures and positioning himself at the pinnacle of Nigeria’s gas industry.
He has a rich and diverse entrepreneurial journey that has helped shape the business sector in Africa. His path to success includes a series of ventures that have significantly contributed to the region’s business growth.
The UTM Offshore FLNG facility is designed to deliver 1.5 million tonnes of LNG for export and 300,000 tonnes of LPG for domestic use annually. This venture, backed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration as part of the Renewed Hope agenda, represents a significant advancement in Nigeria’s gas monetization strategy.
Rone’s professional journey spans influential roles at OMPADEC and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) before assuming leadership of the UTM Group of Companies in 2008. His approach combines operational excellence with environmental stewardship, engaging international partners including JGC Holdings, Technip Energies, and KBR while conducting rigorous environmental assessments.
The double awards have further solidified Rone’s status as an outstanding businessman that stands out among Africa’s elite. His exceptional intuition, unmatched business acumen, and ability to identify opportunities where others see failure have propelled him to the forefront.
Africa’s technology ecosystem has produced innovative fintech, e-commerce and digital service companies. But there is another important part of the technology value chain that deserves attention: semiconductor engineering.
ChipMango is developing capabilities in chip design, verification and emerging hardware technologies. Its story demonstrates the kind of specialised innovation that deserves greater investment and attention.
Through Boost Africa, a joint initiative of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and African Development Bank, supported by the EU, the EIB helps channel investment through venture capital funds to innovative African enterprises. Discover how this
investment ecosystem is helping create opportunities for businesses working on Africa’s technological future.
Watch the video:
From smartphones and laptops to vehicles and AI systems, semiconductors are essential to modern technology. Yet, the expertise required to design these components remains concentrated in a relatively small number of global
technology hubs.
ChipMango is working to expand access to semiconductor engineering skills and commercial opportunities for African engineers. Its journey also highlights why initiatives such as EIB’s Boost Africa matter. By supporting venture capital funds investing in innovative African businesses, Boost Africa helps strengthen the financing ecosystem needed to develop specialised technology companies. Watch the video to learn how ChipMango is contributing to Africa’s place in the global technology industry.
Watch the video:
Business
ChipMango: Building Nigeria’s Semiconductor Engineering Capabilities for the Global Tech Industry
Africa’s participation in the global technology industry should go beyond
using digital products and services.
African engineers also have an opportunity to contribute to the technologies themselves, including the semiconductors that power smartphones, computers, vehicles and artificial intelligence.
Nigerian semiconductor technology company ChipMango is working to develop this capability by connecting engineering education with practical chip-design and verification projects.
Through its investment in African venture capital funds, the European Investment Bank (EIB), under the Boost Africa
initiative, is helping strengthen the ecosystem that supports innovative businesses like ChipMango.
Boost Africa is a joint initiative of the EIB and African Development Bank, supported by the European Union.
Watch the video to discover ChipMango’s story and the opportunities it is helping create.
Watch the video:
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