By Erewunmi Peace

In a landmark move for Nigeria’s industrial and digital infrastructure, billionaire industrialist Solomon Onafowokan has officially commissioned a new fibre-optic cable manufacturing plant claiming to be Africa’s largest of its kind.

The facility, operated by Coleman Technical Industries Limited (CTIL), sits in Sagamu and is reportedly built on a footprint surpassing 350,000 square-metres. It is designed to churn out up to 9 million kilometres of fibre-optic cable per year, supporting Nigeria’s drive for local content in technology and connectivity.

In addition to cable manufacturing, the complex integrates significant copper and aluminium smelting capacity — 10,000 tons of copper and 3,000 tons of aluminium per month — further strengthening the nation’s industrial supply chain.

During the commissioning event, government officials joined industry leaders to mark the milestone. The facility aligns with national efforts to deepen broadband access, expand the digital economy and reduce reliance on imported fibre-optic infrastructure.

For the manufacturing sector: This plant signals a major boost to Nigeria’s manufacturing capabilities in high-tech infrastructure, opening avenues for export and local value-addition.

For connectivity and telecoms: With such production capacity, Nigeria could become less reliant on imported fibre and poise itself as a regional hub in West Africa.

For jobs and economy: The factory is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, while spanning multiple segments of the manufacturing value chain.

Solomon Onafowokan noted that the vision stretches far: “With this factory, we are not only producing fibre-optic cable—we are helping to build Nigeria’s digital backbone, enabling export, innovation and industrial growth.”
The Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said: “This factory is a milestone in achieving our broadband expansion goals… It places Nigeria on the path to becoming a fibre-manufacturing hub for Africa.”

Context & Background:
CTIL began in the early 1970s as a small wire-manufacturing firm in Lagos and has grown steadily into one of Nigeria’s largest cable producers. The new Sagamu facility represents a step-change in scale and ambition.
The claim of “Africa’s largest fibre-optic cable plant” is supported by multiple local news outlets.

Outlook & Challenges:
While the headline figure of 9 million km annual capacity is compelling, actual utilisation will depend on global supply-chain dynamics, raw-material sourcing, demand growth in Africa and export-market penetration. Observers will watch to see how quickly full capacity is ramped up and whether the “largest” claim holds as peer plants emerge.
Maintaining manufacturing competitiveness also hinges on stable power supply, favourable policy (including Free Trade Zone status), and efficient logistics – all ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s industrial ecosystem.

The commissioning of this facility is a significant moment for Nigeria’s industrialisation and digital infrastructure. For the users, manufacturers and future workforce, it presents real opportunities. As the facility ramps up, the broader question will be how much of that capacity turns into actual product in-country and exports — and whether this becomes a sustainable platform for Nigeria to scale “Made in Nigeria” fibre-optic infrastructure across Africa.