…As Solewant attracts global attention at unveiling in Alode Eleme
By the time Solomon Ewanehi, Group CEO of Solewant, gave details of the protective coating and paint industry and successes recorded so far, all eyes popped up. And by the time a professor, Olugbenga Falode of the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics, and Law, University of Ibadan, gave technical details of the coating formulated and created in Nigeria for the oil and gas industry, the audience appeared convinced that Nigeria is now the leading nation in coating and paint tech industry.
It was the event of the commissioning of Solewant Specialty Protective Coatings and Paints Limited plant, and unveiling of their range of products that they have formulated, leading to manufacturing of 11 formulations in partnership with two Nigerian universities and input with two others.
Ewanehi, an engineer and member of the highly respected Petroleum Association of Nigeria (PETAN), told the elite audience including Minister of State for Petroleum (Heineken Lokpobiri), Namibian High Commissioner to Nigeria (Walde Ndavishiya), office of the Secretary of the Federation of Nigeria headed by George Akume (as represented), professors, Governor of Rivers State (as represented), PETAN leadership led by Emeka Ene, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB, as represented), how the company began 26 years ago.
He said Solewan Group was formed with a vision to become a leader in the manufacturing of steel pipe, and pipe coating solution for Nigerian oil and gas industry. “Over the years, we have been steadfast in the vision and achieved excellence in delivering world-class manufacturing solutions to the oil and gas industry.”
He said in response to the growing industry demand, on the 26th of November 2016, “We unveiled the first factory here of our Polyethylene and Fusion Bonded Epoxy Coating Plant, adjudged to be the largest and still is the largest pipe coating plant in Africa.”
In 2017, he stated, another factory followed, “And we commissioned our Concrete Coating Plant and our fabrication and pipe milling facility.
“Then in 2025 we commissioned our Pipe Bend Coating Plant. And the reason for what we did last year, which was also in July, was because of the issue that we have in the industry. Over the years, we have been in the industry building and our 16 pipelines across Niger Delta and other parts of Nigeria.
“Recently, we are the company that single-handedly supplied and provided the field joint coating system for the AKK project, spanning from Warri to the one that tee off from Kogi to Kaduna; we provided that system.
“And we provided a number of pipeline coating protection for Nigerian Gas Company, the Gas Master Plan across Nigeria: Obotor-Ushue, Papalanto, Alaoji, Ikot Abasi. The Ufuma-C to Ikot Abasi project took us 127 km, and we of course provided coating back-to-back.”
Tiny problem but big impact:
“And in this, we discovered a challenge, and that challenge has been that we consistently and persistently receive failures on critical parts of these areas. And discussing with our original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in Italy and Germany, we discovered a particular problem that is small, but very big when it comes to project execution, which of course, sometimes we undermine.
“And that is irregular surfaces that we cannot protect in the mill. Contractors go to the plant pretending that they were protecting them. Really, they cannot provide that seamless coating in the field.”
The moment Solewant discovered that, they invested to provide that Pipe Bend Coating plant. “Now, it is important that we have that seamless plant. The Renaissance, NLNG, Chevron, and other companies are currently patronizing that plant that we installed last year.”
He said many may not understand the deep matters in what has been manufactured again. Also, he went on, the essence of setting up a coating manufacturing plant in 2016 despite the 2025 commissioning has to do with two different things. “What we’re commissioning right now is the raw material that feeds that particular coating plant. These materials in the past were imported.
“But we actually started the research and development in 2004 to be able to reduce our over-dependence on foreign companies, to formulating and manufacturing these products in-country. And we partnered with the Canadians, we worked with the Germans, and of course, the Chinese, who assisted in finishing the customized equipment. These are the things we are unveiling today to now begin to produce and manufacture these coating systems in-country.
“It is important that we know where we are here. We have 6-party in one Solewant Industrial Park.”
He gave details, saying about 156,000 m² is housing Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and Fusion Bonded Epoxy pipe coating plant, Concrete Coating plant, Pipe Bend Coating plant, their state-of-the-art laboratory. “This is because we cannot work without talking about quality. It is very important, and we don’t take that for granted. Quality with safety is our number one priority. We equally have now, our Coating Manufacturing Plant: Specialty Coating Plant and Paints Coating Plant.”
The CEO said the companies driving these six facilities were equally six: “We have Solewant Nigeria Limited, Field Joint Coating Limited, Solewant Specialty Protective Coatings and Paints Limited (which of course is the SSPC and Paints), Solewant Energy Training Institute, and Ukamizi Africa Energy Limited.”
He said the Training Institute is providing training for the energy industry. “And we equally have been able to establish, vetted, and we are currently now working in Namibia with our Namibia staff, who are also working with us to ensure that we are not just doing this in Nigeria, we are taking it to other African continents. The industrial park that we have here, we’re discussing with the Namibian executive, and ensure that we are taking this to other countries in the South African region: Angola, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the rest.”
On the SSPC Vision, he said 16 years ago, “We asked ourselves a very simple and pertinent question. And that question was, ‘Why should Nigeria, a leading oil and gas nation, continue to import coatings that will protect our critical assets?’
“And the answer to that question birthed Solewant Specialty Protective Coatings and Paints Limited, and the SSPC and Paints plant that we are unveiling today, to ensure that we should be able to have a say in our critical assets: formulate, manufacture, and deploy this coating system to protect our critical assets onshore and offshore location.”
The CEO said SSPC and Paints Ltd develops and manufactures specialty protective coating engineered to preserve the integrity of steel pipe, metal, concrete, wood by safeguarding them against corrosion and harsh environmental condition.
“And these products that we are producing now are enhanced; modified to fit to the environmental challenge that we have in our Niger Delta and other regions. Of course, we understand that because of the salty nature of the area, we have to develop what will be able to withstand the environment.
“So we actually introduced this product in 2022. And in 2022, the then Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board adjudged Solewant as champion of Nigerian content.
“That year, we unveiled the products that we manufactured for ExxonMobil to produce the pipe, coat the pipe, deploy the pipe to offshore location, and equally commence producing decorative paints in that year. And the certificate was given to us because of the value addition that we provided for those projects.”
Today, he stated, “We are proud to unveil 11 enhanced products, each developed and produced in our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility by SSPC and Paints. And these products include: base paint, standard single component paint, standard solvent-based industrial protective coating, ultra-premium volatile organic compound-free, Novolac Epoxy, Polyurethane, Polyurea coating system. These specialty protective coatings are in various configurations.”
He said in one application, “We are able to achieve 200 microns. Whereas in regular and traditional coating system, when we apply them, we have 150 microns, intermediate coat, top coat, then at the end of the day, we have 250 to 300 microns. But this is able to withstand stress corrosion cracking over time that we have tested these products that we are providing for not just the oil and gas industry alone, but for other allied industry.
“These are not just products; they represent sovereignty in in drum that we provide. They create employment for our people. They embody technology transfer. They demonstrate Nigerian content in action and practical implementation of African content and industrialization across Africa.”
The CEO said this milestone would not have been possible without an enabling environment created by the Federal Government of Nigeria. “We sincerely appreciate the continuous support of the Presidency represented here by the SGF, represented by Professor Babatunde. This achievement is one of dividend of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ‘Nigeria First’ policy.
“To our special guests of honor, from the bottom of my heart, I want to sincerely thank you for everything that you do. Recently, you were with us in OTC.
“NOGOF last year, if you recall, we’re one of the sponsors of the NOGOF event. You provided us that platform and told us that you are in support of what PETAN is doing. In PETAN, we do not pride ourselves with patronage; we believe in competence. And competence is what has taken us this far in PETAN.
“And you promised that you’re going to be with us when we’ll be having our end-of-year program, and that you actually graciously attended. And continuously, when we invite you for any of this occasion like this, no matter how busy you are, you take out any other programme, and you find time to be with us. We want to say thank you for everything, for supporting not just Solewant, but all PETAN members.”
He extended huge appreciation to the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) saying: “When he took over the mantle of leadership, he took his time and took his topmost executives to visit pipe manufacturing and coating companies in Nigeria.
“He wasn’t just here; he came here as an engineer, inspected all our facility component by component, and went through all our processes. At the end of the day, most of the projects that were supposed to have been ceded to foreign nationals, he ensured that they would be coming to us. And that has been giving us a lot of support. We say kudos, and we appreciate your continuous effort for the Nigerian oil and gas companies in Nigeria.
“You have demonstrated that with the right support, Nigerian company can own, manage, excel not only in service industry, but also in advanced coating manufacturing technologies.
“I want to appreciate our valued, highly valued partners from University of Ibadan. Two years ago, when we had our Solewant Africa Energy Summit, they were part of the programme. In their presentation, they remarked that they would love to participate and be part of what we are doing. We contacted them, through our Solewan Energy Training Institute, and they’ve been working tirelessly, reviewing our processes, going through our programs, detail by detail, and ensuring that products which, of course, we find difficult to provide here in Nigeria.”
He devoted attention to the products, saying they were usually categorized in three categories: A category, B, and C. As we speak, we can confidently and conveniently provide the C category as well because of their efforts. We want to say thank you for assisting and providing that support for us.
“Same thing with the University of Science and Technology, and of course, Uniport. When we started here in 2012, University of Port Harcourt, ably led then by Professor Hart, and University of Maiduguri and Nsukka were part of the programme, ensuring that all that we needed to provide here was not just something that would be of immense support to the community (Eleme community, Alode community, Elelenwo community), but for what will stand the test of time in Nigeria. And that they have continually be doing since that 2012 up until today. We want to say thank you for your support.
Thanking the staff of Solewant, the CEO said the company was today making three bold commitments: “Number one is quality. Every batch will meet highest global standard. Safety and quality are our number one priority.
“The second one is capacity. We are ready to support international oil companies, the NOC, infrastructure projects in Nigeria across Nigeria and Africa, providing these high-performance coatings to protect critical assets.
“Innovation: In Solewant Energy Training Institute and the research and development partners, we continue to develop the next generation of coatings because in coating, you continue to innovate as you see new challenges.
“Today, we are not just launching Solewant coating manufacturing plant, we are launching confidence; confidence that Nigeria has the competence, the capacity, the courage to manufacture not just what we consume, but also we can export to compete with international standards. This is why we can encourage our partners and those that are working with us that we are driving competence, and we are delivering projects”
Flying Nigeria’s tech flag:
Understanding the products that compete for Nigeria
The professor, Olugbenga Falode, of the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics, and Law, University of Ibadan, unveiled Solewant’s Solguard and Novaguard coating portfolio, describing the products as a testament to Nigeria’s growing manufacturing and engineering capability.
Insight:
Let me say that today’s event is much more than the launch of another paint brand. It is a celebration of innovation, a celebration of engineering excellence, research, local content, and Nigeria’s growing manufacturing capability.
The products before us today are the result of product development, formulation optimization, testing, and collaboration between industry professionals, researchers, and technical experts. Industry needs research. Research means industry. And the two together both require supportive government policies.
Let me say that our portfolio of products has been carefully developed to meet the needs of home owners, contractors, manufacturers, engineers, and industries operating in some of the world’s most demanding environments.
To make it easy to understand, we have organized our products into four distinct product families, and each was designed to solve a different protection challenge.
Our first product family is called Silgard Architectural Coatings. In this family, we have three products: Silgard Emulsion Paint, Silgard Matt Paint, and Silgard Silk Paint.
Every great structure begins with a vision, but it is the finish that gives it character.
Yet, every day, our walls are exposed to intense sunlight, rainfall, humidity, dust, stains, and the wear and tear of daily life. Over time, these forces reduce both the beauty and value of our buildings.
That is why we developed the Silgard Architectural range coatings that are not only beautiful, but are also durable. They are easy to apply and specifically formulated for tropical climates.
Think of this this way: Our emulsion paint is the dependable everyday choice for homes, for schools, for offices, and for residential buildings.
Our matt paint provides a smooth, elegant finish that conceals all the minor, minor surface imperfections while giving interiors a modern and refined appearance. Our silk paint delivers a luxurious, washable finish, making it ideal for hospitals, for hotels, for restaurants, for offices, and other high-traffic areas where cleanliness and beauty must go hand-in-hand.
Having enhanced the appearance of our buildings, the next question becomes: How do we protect the steel structures and equipment that support our industry? Our second product family answers that question, and that is the Silgard Industrial Protective Coatings.
This family consists of Silgard Red Oxide Metal Primer and Silgard Alkyd Gloss Enamel. Behind every factory, every warehouse, every transmission tower, every agricultural machine, fabricated steel structure, storage tank, and industrial facility—behind all of these lies a significant investment.
Steel is strong, but it has one persistent enemy, that is corrosion. Rust develops quietly, yet its consequences are enormous. It weakens structures, it increases maintenance costs, it interrupts operations, and shortens the service life of valuable assets.
Imagine a corroded industrial staircase giving way beneath a worker, a rusted overhead water tank contaminating drinking water, or a weakened steel support compromising an entire structure.
Together, they provide dependable protection for fabricated steel, machinery, equipment, gates, agricultural implements, and countless engineering applications.
However, some environments demand even greater levels of protection. Our third product family has been engineered specifically for these environments, and it’s called the Silgard Heavy-Duty Protective Systems. It comprises Silgard Zinc Rich Epoxy Primer, Silgard High Build Epoxy Coat, and Silgard Acrylic Polyurethane.
Think of these three products as a highly coordinated security team. The zinc rich epoxy primer protects the steel itself by providing sacrificial cathodic protection against corrosion.
The high build epoxy coat forms a dense shield that blocks moisture, blocks chemicals, and other corrosive agents. Finally, the acrylic polyurethane acts like a protective umbrella, shielding the entire system from ultraviolet radiation while maintaining outstanding color and gloss retention.
Working together, these three coatings significantly extend maintenance intervals, reduce lifecycle costs, improve reliability, and maximize the service life of critical infrastructure.
This premium includes Novagard 100% solid polyolefin, Novagard 100% polyurethane, Novagard 100% solid polyurea.
Using advanced coating technologies, these products provide exceptional resistance to chemicals, abrasion, impact, moisture, and severe service conditions. Whether we are protecting industrial floors, storage tanks, containment areas, processing plants, marine facilities, or even critical infrastructure, these products deliver long-term protection where reliability, safety, and performance are absolutely essential.
Novagard represents the highest expression of our commitment to innovation, advanced materials engineering, and world-class coating technology. And what we promise with this, our fourth family of products, is when performance matters most, Novagard stands guard.
These four product families tell one complete story: from the walls of a family’s first home, to schools, to hospitals, to hostels, to office buildings, to factories, to bridges, to transmission towers, to storage tanks, to pipelines, to marine terminals, and even offshore platforms, Silgard and Novagard provide the right coating solution for every stage of protection.
So, they are investments in durability, they are investments in safety, in productivity, in sustainability, in environmental stewardship, and long-term asset protection. Most importantly, they reflect our confidence that world-class coating technologies can be researched, formulated, manufactured, and delivered right here in Nigeria to serve both local and international markets.
This is how Nigeria has proudly introduced Silgard and Novagard as trusted partners in protecting the structures, the equipment, and infrastructure that shape the nation’s communities and drive her development. Other nations have queued up.
