…Marks 50 Years In Nigeria
Coleman Wires and Cables Industries Limited has highlighted Coleman’s remarkable journey from a trading outfit in 1975 to a manufacturing giant, while lamented delay in signing 2025 tariff policy guidelines.
Addressing some media executive ahead of the company’s golden jubilee celebration in October 2025, the Managing Director and CEO, Mr. George Onafowokan, reaffirmed its position as Nigeria’s foremost indigenous cable manufacturing company, celebrating 50 years of innovation, resilience, and contribution to national development.
“Our commitment to quality, innovation, and local content is unmatched in the West African region,” Onafowokan said.
“We have consistently supported national infrastructure growth with world-class electrical and telecommunications cables.”
He announced the company’s expansion milestones, including the commissioning of West Africa’s first XLPE medium/high-voltage cable plant and fibre-optic facility, both located in Nigeria.
Coleman’s manufacturing capacity now includes 390,000 tonnes of copper, 108,000 tonnes of aluminium, and an expanding fibre optic output projected to reach 9 million fibre kilometres annually.
“Our Sagamu and Arepo plants are now among the largest in sub-Saharan Africa,” he added, noting that over 700 direct and 7,000 indirect jobs are currently supported by Coleman, with plans to triple this figure within two years.
Onafowokan also unveiled the company’s newly completed continuous casting smelter—the first in Nigeria—capable of producing 10,000 tonnes of copper and 3,000 tonnes of aluminium annually, with plans to double capacity.
Despite the firm’s achievements, he expressed concerns over regulatory bottlenecks, particularly the delay in signing the 2025 tariff policy guidelines.
“We missed out on the 2024 tariff measures. The last update was in 2023. We expect the President to sign the 2025 tariff guidelines this month. It is critical for the manufacturing sector,” he said.
He also called for gas pricing reforms, lamenting that manufacturers like Coleman, which operate embedded gas-powered power plants, pay as high as $8 per thousand cubic feet, while exporters pay far less.
“Power accounts for 40 to 60 per cent of our production cost. We shouldn’t be penalised for investing in energy security,” he said. “It must be a level playing field.”
Coleman’s embedded 28MW gas power plant supplies energy across its production sites, enhancing efficiency and supporting logistics with over 40 new electric forklifts.
As Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ogun State Chapter, Onafowokan urged stronger implementation of local content policies and cross-border trade support under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“We are among the few family-run Nigerian companies with an ‘A’ rating from Agusto & Co and Global Credit Rate GCR. Our facilities meet international standards including ISO and CE certifications,” he added.
The company’s export footprint now includes Ghana, Niger, Togo, and Cameroon, with ambitions to meet over 50 per cent of Africa’s cable and fibre optic demand.
SOURCE: independent.ng