By Abiola Olawale
Nigeria is taking steps toward self-reliance in its energy sector with the official commissioning of Solewant Specialty Protective Coatings and Paints Limited’s (SSPC & Paints) new manufacturing plant.
Located within the 156,000-square-metre Solewant Industrial Park in Alode-Eleme, Rivers State, the state-of-the-art facility is engineered to produce high-performance protective coatings, industrial paints, and specialty asset-protection solutions locally—eliminating long-standing reliance on expensive imports for critical oil, gas, and marine infrastructure.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, highlighted the timing of the facility.
Lokpobiri said: ”This project reflects the growth of indigenous oil and gas service providers over the past 15 years since the enactment of the NOGICD Act. Locally produced coating solutions will help reduce evacuation constraints, improve asset protection, and directly support our crude production ambitions.”
By producing pipeline, marine, and industrial coatings natively, the facility addresses three core operational pressures facing the energy value chain.
Asset Longevity: Shielding steel, concrete, wood, and subsea pipelines against severe atmospheric and subsea corrosion.
Cost Optimization: Substantially lowering procurement costs and lead times for regional E&P (Exploration & Production) operators.
Foreign Exchange Conservation: Retaining capital within the local economy by substituting imported industrial chemicals with home-grown manufacturing.
During the launch, Solewant Group unveiled 11 enhanced product lines across its proprietary Solguard and Novaguard brand portfolios, categorized to serve diverse industrial, infrastructure, and oilfield applications.
Mr. Solomon Ewanehi, Group CEO of Solewant Group, framed the initiative around economic courage and domestic competence.
Ewanehi stated: ”Today, we are launching confidence—confidence that Nigeria has the competence, capacity, and courage to manufacture not just what we consume, but what we can export to compete with international standards.”
The impact of the new SSPC & Paints facility extends well beyond Nigeria’s borders. With Namibia emerging as a global hydrocarbon hotspot following massive offshore discoveries, Solewant Group has established a branch in the Southern African nation—establishing a cross-border supply chain for African-made protective technologies.
Speaking, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara commended the company for choosing Rivers State as its industrial base.
Fubara, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Sunny Ewuhle, reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to creating a conducive environment for corporate organisations operating in the state in order to enhance business growth, job creation and sustainable development.
Ewuhle stated: “I thank the board, management and staff of Solewant and Specialty Protective Coatings and Paints Limited for choosing Rivers State as your industrial hub for citing this gigantic state-of-the-art paint manufacturing plant.
“It is a testament that Rivers State is peaceful and safe for investments. The government and the good people of Rivers State are indeed very happy for this remarkable project.”
“We, as government, are calling on all local and foreign investors to emulate what the Solewant Group has done in Rivers State.
“The Rivers State Government is willing and ready to partner with your conglomerate in the area of manufacturing, sustainable development, local content development and industrial growth in the state.”
Namibia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, H.E. Mr. Walde Natangwe Ndevashiya, noted that Solewant’s expansion positions indigenous African companies at the forefront of the continent’s newest oil frontier.
The move demonstrates how domestic capacity building under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act is evolving into an exportable model for cross-border African industrial development.
