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 commissioning, held on Monday, came shortly after the company’s 50th anniversary celebration and marked the completion of the modern facility designed to strengthen its operations and support its expansion plans for the next phase of its growth.
The Senior Pastor of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, who dedicated the facility, described Coleman’s 50-year journey from a modest beginning to a major African brand as remarkable.
Bakare expressed confidence that the company would continue to expand and eventually attain global recognition.
He said Coleman started as “a little mustard seed” but had grown into a major force in Africa through sustained investment and commitment.
“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 part of the Coleman family for many years, noted that he had witnessed the growth of the company’s Chief Executive Officer, George Onafowokan, and his deputy.
He urged the management and family owners of the company to sustain its legacy by building a transgenerational business that could be successfully passed from one generation to another.
Citing Ford Motor Company as an example, Bakare said businesses could maintain their relevance and legacy across generations when properly managed.
“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.
Earlier, the Chairman of Coleman Technical Industries Limited, Asiwaju Solomon Onafowokan, expressed satisfaction with the completion of the headquarters, saying the project had surpassed his expectations.
Onafowokan recalled that Coleman started from a 2,000-square-metre factory before expanding into the present facility.
He attributed the company’s transformation to God, its employees, customers and other stakeholders who had contributed to its growth over the years.
He said Coleman’s ambition was to surpass its current achievements during the next 50 years.
According to him, the company is currently ranked the first among cable manufacturers in Africa.
Onafowokan added that Coleman’s long-term growth strategy was structured around 25-year development cycles, with the current phase focused on achieving greater milestones and further expanding its position in the industry.
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 represented the company’s vision for the next 50 years.
George said Coleman had evolved into a generational business with a legacy spanning more than five decades.
He dedicated the facility to the company’s employees, stakeholders and Nigerians who had contributed to the development of the cable manufacturing industry.
“This is dedicated to the staff and everyone who has made this possible the 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.
According to him, 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, contributing significantly to the strengthening of 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 continue expanding its operations and contributing to Nigeria’s emergence as a major player in the global cable industry.
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 started with the company as members of the National Youth Service Corps 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 headquarters, 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 Alghadban, conventional concrete weighs about 400 kilogrammes per square metre, while the lightweight concrete used for the facility weighs approximately 100 kilogrammes per square metre.
He said the construction method reduced the overall load of the approximately 5,000-square-metre built-up area by about 1,500 tonnes.
Alghadban added that the technology 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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