Solewant group set to unveil sophisticated paint and offshore coating factory in Port Harcourt
- +…As Nigeria moves from import to export in paint industry
By Friday, July 31, 2026, Nigeria would welcome a factory that would further help transform the country from an importer to an exporting one in high grade and sophisticated paint categories.
By Friday, July 31, 2026, Nigeria would welcome a factory that would further help transform the country from an importer to an exporting one in high grade and sophisticated paint categories.
Solewant group, which engineered the innovation, said Nigeria is now a powerhouse in oil and gas which requires offshore coating and paint categories.
The new plant located in Alode Eleme near Port Harcourt is called Solewant Specialty Protective Coatings (SSPC) and Paints, said to be from the group’s research & development and innovation hub. The group addressed the press on Monday where four out of the five topmost management team including Matthew Aganren, Group Executive Director/MD of SSPC and Paints Ltd; Felix Onyela, GM, Business Development and Strategy; Kingsley Okere, Group Human Resources GM; Ben Ubleble, Executive Secretary, Solewant Energy Training Institute- SETI (A subsidiary of the Solewant Group); and Solomon Ewanehi, Group Managing Director and CEO of Solewant Group (who was not immediately available).
Speaking, Matthew Aganren (Group Executive Director/MD), said Solewant Group began in Port Harcourt in the year 2000 with one clear mission: to contribute to the growth of Nigeria’s industrial sector through innovation and quality service delivery. We did not start with scale. We started by supplying coating solutions to Nigeria’s oil and gas companies — earning, through successful partnerships, the trust to represent established foreign coating manufacturers and to distribute their solutions across our industry.
“In the years since, that conviction has been tested and proven. Today, we operate six businesses from a purpose-built complex spanning over 150,000 square metres, trusted by partners such as Shell, Chevron, NLNG, ExxonMobil and NNPC.”
He said the company works with the University of Ibadan and the Rivers State University to create world class innovative products.
On what the innovation means to Nigeria, the executive director said the launch is more than a new product line. “By formulating our coatings here in Nigeria, we reduce our nation’s dependence on imported paint, we create jobs for Nigerian chemists, technicians and applicators, and we deepen indigenous innovation through local research. Where critical coating capability was once sought abroad, we have chosen to build it at home. This is local content in action — an agenda we have pursued alongside the NCDMB, PETAN and OGTAN, and one we are proud to advance.”
He said the future would find Solewant pushing products into Africa and the world, saying it is already in some African countries and the US.
Aganren said; “We are launching another product, the 11th, on July 31, 2026, a product that is unique, innovative, etc. We found need to improve some paints in Nigeria through research.
Supporting the view, Ben Ubleble, Executive Secretary, Solewant Energy Training Institute, said protection is very important. “Dresses are meant to protect the body, so do paints protect plants and buildings. We came to the realization to say; why import, why not do it yourself, why not manufacture it in-country? The NNPC was putting the challenge to us.”
On his own, Felix Onyela, the GM Business Development & Strategy, said: “We came to fill a gap in the industry: which is the expertise to drive the process. We came to realise that relying solely on import or foreign products will destroy Nigeria.”
Kingsley Okere, the Group Human Resources GM, made it clear that Solewant group was stepping away from international specifications because Africa’s weather and water conditions were different.
He said the roadmap is to address the concerns of the government which is to step away from relying on imported paints. “Now, we have world class paint quality for Nigeria and Africa. We have decorative painting as well as for offshore painting.”
Answering questions, the management commended the FG, saying industrial policies were meant to help the country, and that the FG has had a listening ear to any complaints especially through the NCDMB and members of the National Assembly.
They said the offering in the 11 paint categories and coatings was far more important than prices of the paints. It was made clear that offshore paints and coating needed advanced tech to get the best quality.
They said: “Power supply has improved but we rely 100% on our self-generated power (6.5kva) at our industrial location in Alode Eleme.”
