Coleman Technical Industries Limited has inaugurated its new 4,900-square-metre headquarters at Arepo, Ogun State, with the company reaffirming its position as a leading cable manufacturer in Africa .
The new facility, dedicated by the Senior Pastor of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, is designed to strengthen Coleman’s operations, improve efficiency and support its expansion plans.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Monday, Bakare described Coleman’s growth from a modest beginning into a major African brand as remarkable, expressing confidence that the company would continue its expansion and attain global recognition.
He said, “The brand Coleman started as a little mustard seed. And like Jesus said, if you plant it and you water it, it’s going to become a mighty herb that other birds of the air can come and take a rest in it.
“It started very harmless some 50 years ago and now it’s become a phenomenon in Africa, and we know that it’s not stopping here. It will still be the pinnacle of becoming a global brand as the Lord lives.”
Bakare, who said he had been associated with the Coleman family for many years, said he had witnessed the growth of the company’s Chief Executive Officer, George Onafowokan, and his deputy.
He urged the company to build a transgenerational business capable of being successfully passed from one generation to another, citing Ford Motor Company as an example of a business that had maintained its legacy across generations.
“My wish for them is that as their father passes it to them, they will pass it to the next generation and it will continue like that,” he said.
The Chairman of Coleman Technical Industries Limited, Asiwaju Solomon Onafowokan, expressed delight over the completion of the facility, saying the company had surpassed his expectations.
Onafowokan recalled that Coleman started from a 2,000-square-metre factory before expanding into its present facility.
He attributed the company’s transformation to God, its employees, customers and other stakeholders.
He disclosed that Coleman currently ranks first among cable manufacturers in Africa, adding that the company would continue to pursue greater milestones in the industry.
According to him, Coleman’s long-term strategy is structured around 25-year development cycles, with the current phase focused on further expansion and strengthening its position in the global cable market.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Coleman Technical Industries Limited, George Onafowokan, described the new headquarters as more than a physical structure, saying it represents the company’s vision for the future.
George said the project demonstrated Coleman’s evolution into a generational business with a legacy spanning more than five decades.
He dedicated the facility to the company’s employees and Nigerians who had contributed to the development of the country’s cable manufacturing industry.
“This is dedicated to the staff and everyone who has made this possiblethe Nigerians who have contributed to the industry, particularly the cable industry, and to making Nigeria a household name in the global cable industry,” he said.
George said the headquarters was designed with the future in mind, noting that Coleman would continue to expand its workforce and operations as the business grows.
“The past 50 years are not the whole story. What matters is what happens in the next 50 years, and that is what this building signifies to us the next 50 years and the positive outlook that Nigerians will continue to be employed by Coleman, by this family, and by generations to come,” he said.
Also speaking, Coleman’s Executive Director, Michael Onafowokan, said the company’s growth had been driven by its commitment to self-sufficiency, local content and the development of Nigerian capacity in cable manufacturing.
He said Coleman had developed a wide range of products locally and contributed significantly to strengthening Nigeria’s cable manufacturing industry.
Michael stressed that no country could achieve self-sufficiency in the power sector without a viable cable manufacturing industry.
He urged Coleman to sustain its expansion and continue placing Nigeria on the global map.
On human capital development, he said the company had invested substantially in developing local talent through partnerships with technical schools and universities.
He disclosed that about 40 per cent of Coleman’s middle managers joined the company as National Youth Service Corps members and were subsequently retained, trained and developed into management positions.
The Chairman and Managing Director of Sana Group, Dr Alaa Alghadban, who spoke on the construction of the facility, said the project was completed within 20 months of reaching an agreement with Coleman.
He explained that the building was constructed using lightweight concrete combined with prefabricated steel sections, a method he said significantly reduced the overall weight of the structure.
According to him, conventional concrete weighs about 400 kilogrammes per square metre, while the lightweight concrete used for the facility weighs approximately 100 kilogrammes per square metre.
Alghadban said the construction method reduced the overall load of the approximately 5,000-square-metre built-up area by about 1,500 tonnes.
He added that the construction technique also contributed to sustainability through improved heat and sound insulation, faster construction and reduced carbon dioxide emissions.
The commissioning ceremony was attended by Pastor Bakare’s wife, Pastor Laide Bakare, alongside family members, friends and other dignitaries.
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