Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Coleman Wires and Cables Limited, George Onafowokan, has announced plans to meet 50 per cent of Africa’s cable and fibre-optic demand, leveraging its new industrial capacities and deepening export presence across West and Central Africa.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the company’s golden jubilee celebration in October 2025, he highlighted the company’s remarkable journey from a trading outfit in 1975 to a manufacturing giant and reaffirmed its position as Nigeria’s foremost indigenous cable manufacturing company.
Announcing 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, he noted that its manufacturing capacity now includes 390,000 tonnes of copper, 108,000 tonnes of aluminium and an expanding fibre optic output projected to reach nine million fibre kilometres yearly.
He further noted that they currently employ over 700 direct and 7,000 indirect staff with limited capacity, adding that if it raises production capacity to 60 per cent, the firm can triple the number of jobs in the next two years.
He also unveiled the company’s newly completed continuous casting smelter, which he said is capable of producing 10,000 tonnes of copper and 3,000 tonnes of aluminium yearly, with plans to double capacity.
He, however, expressed concerns over regulatory bottlenecks, particularly the delay in signing the 2025 tariff policy guidelines, which he said have hobbled the industry significantly.
“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 local manufacturers who operate embedded gas-powered power plants pay as high as $8 per thousand cubic feet, while exporters pay far less.
“Power accounts for 40-60 per cent of our total production costs. We should not be penalised for investing in energy security; it must be a level playing field,” he said.
Onafowokan, who also doubles as the Chair of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Ogun State Chapter, urged stronger implementation of local content policies and cross-border trade support under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Revealing that their 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, he said counterfeiters and smugglers remain a major challenge for them.
Noting that they are now investing in renewable energy solutions, broadband infrastructure, and smart grid technologies, he noted that over a billion naira has been invested in road infrastructure within the Arepo community in Ogun State, where the company’s factory is located.
