Dapo Abiodun, the governor of Ogun State, inaugurated the state’s first fiber optic cable production plant on Thursday, saying the facility will help his administration’s digital economy infrastructure expand.
Speaking at the opening of the Coleman Wire and Cable fibre optic firm, which is located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, he expressed his excitement that the pioneer plant will help develop teaching and learning processes throughout the state.
“Local production of fiber optic cables will help in the adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in various areas of the economy.” It would increase technological innovation, improve medical care and data access, and improve Internet connectivity,” he added.
Abiodun went on to say that his administration’s effort to creating a technologically sophisticated state has earned him prizes in the areas of ICT and digital economy from the Federal Ministry of Communications, BusinessDay Newspaper in 2019, Independent Newspaper, and Daily Times in 2021.
He said, “The prizes were granted in recognition of my administration’s efforts to maximize the benefits of ICT and the digital economy.”
Abiodun stated that the inauguration of the first fibre optic cable plant in West Africa in Ogun will help the state’s digital economy initiative, which intends to deploy 5,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables across the state.
The governor stated that the factory’s commissioning will go a long way toward preserving already precious foreign exchange, fostering technology transfer, creating jobs, and reducing poverty.
He urged other well-intentioned individuals and groups to seize the state’s chance, and he reminded the state’s commercial companies to be mindful of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the host communities.
“In this context, companies are urged to supplement the current infrastructure given by the state government by paying their taxes on time,” he added.
In her remarks, US Ambassador to Nigeria Mary Beth Leonard, represented by Commercial Attache David Russell, stated that the factory’s influence will be felt throughout the state and that additional employment would be generated for the people of the state.
Furthermore, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Coleman Technical Industries Limited (CTIL), George Onafowokan, stated that the company has always believed in local content and that its mission is centered on believing in Nigeria and increasing local talent.
George also stated that the firm will construct capacity for the country, West Africa, Central Africa, and roughly half of the continent, and that the plan would make the company the largest fiber optic cable manufacturer on the continent by September 2023.
The Minister for Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, represented by Adewale Bakare, praised the company’s commitment to the country’s economic progress.
He added that the factory’s expansion from the production of electricity wires and cables to the production of fiber optic cables used by telecommunication companies and other industries, including defense and medicals, for various applications in Nigeria and other West African sub-regions is proof of the Federal Government’s confidence in its industrialisation drive.
