Young Gambians venture into paint manufacturing

L to R - Bubacarr Badjie, production manager; and Bakary Jawara, CEO

A paint manufacturing company that produces quality international standard paint has been set up in The Gambia by two indigenes who returned home after living abroad for several years.          

Tinnin Paints Limited is an indigene-owned paint manufacturing company established by Bakary Jawara and Bubacarr Badgie, with an initial investment of €200,000, equivalent to more than D7.5 million. The factory produces different types of water-based paint, ideal for both interior and exterior designs.

In an interview with this paper, Bubacarr Badjie, production manager of Tinnin Paints, said their company manufactures six different kinds of paint for different uses: “First of all, we have the Premier, which is undercoat paint. We have the Premium, an interior design paint, and we have the Supreme, ideal for both interior and exterior uses. 

“We also have the Deluxe, ideal for both interior and exterior and it can be applied on metal as well because when it dries it is as solid as oil paint.  “We have the Deluxe Gloss, which is also stronger than the Deluxe because it gives you that shiny effect and even when scratched, it would not pill off because it’s so slippery that if anything happens to touch it, it will not scratch.”

Badgie said their company, which situated at 19 Kanifing Industrial Estate, has invented new paint for welders, such as the Red Oxide, which is a protective coat for the metal.  When applied on metal, the Red Oxide helps the metal to last long rust-free. 

The good thing about the Red Oxide, he pointed out, is that it is water-based; so welders don’t need kerosene to wash their hands after using it, just water to clean your hand as usual. 

He said their paints do not have any effects of bacteria or spirogyra as a result of the rain because during rainy season many concrete walls in the country develop the greenish patches, which is due to bacteria or spirogyra. 

This is because the paint does not have sterilised chemical which supposes to eliminate all bacteria in it, he said, adding that all the different types of Tinnin Paints have high concentrated sterilised chemical that kills all bacteria in the paint during and after production. 

“So when you applied it you will not have any bacteria or spirogyra on the wall you applied it on even in rainy season,” he said.

As the production manager, with over a decade of experience working in a paint factory in Holland, Badgie said:  “I can produce water-based paint, which is stronger than oil paint and has the same effects as oil paint.

“At Tinnin Paints, we produce paints in all colours including gold, silver and bronze colours in water base.  There is no colour that we cannot manufacture here; we produce any colour based on the customer’s choice in any volume within two hours and our paint are ideal for walls, metals, and textiles.

Bakary Jawara, chief executive officer of Tinnin Paints Limited, gives the genesis of the company establishment in The Gambia. 

He said: “While I was in Sweden, where I was for 22 years, I have had an interest in investing in The Gambia but I don’t know the area to invest in.  So I had a discussion with Bubacarr my childhood friend, while he was in Holland. Then I went to Holland to sit with him to have a proper discussion on this and we then agreed to do a joint investment in paint factory; that’s how we set up Tinnin Paints. 

He said apart from the wide experience and expertise of his partner in paint production, they have also ventured into paint manufacturing because of the huge potential in this industry. “As far as I am concerned there is nobody in The Gambia producing water-based paint in high quality.”

Mr Jawara said their feasibility studies have revealed that only 2% of the paints used in The Gambia is produced in the country; the other 98% is all imported from Dubai, Brazil, Europe and America. 

He said at Tinnin Paints, they manufacture better paints than the ones imported and their prices are cheaper as well. According to him, their paint are also more environmentally-friendly compared to the imported ones.

 

However, he said despite difficulties in competing with imported paints in the market, the company has some good patronage, saying the QCell building was painted with their paint, the Galp at the Turntable in Brusubi was also painted with their paint. Banjul Breweries is also among their biggest corporate clients.

Customer testimony:  The paint is very good

Bori Darboe of Banjul Breweries, who happened to meet this reporter at the factory premises where he came to buy paint for his company, said:  “For me I believe in quality, I am from Banjul Breweries and you know at the brewery we always like to be associated with excellent products and right now at all our branded shops, the paints we are using are from Tinnin Paints.

“It’s one of the best paints in The Gambia because we have been dealing with other paints but the moment we started with this one, we have never changed because it’s giving us what we need; that is excellence. 

“Anywhere you go round now you see Banjul Breweries branded shop on Vimto, Youki, Guinness, and Castel all these paints are from Tinnin Paints and they are of the best quality. 

“I am very proud to be associated with them and I urge everybody, be it Gambians or non-Gambians, to come over here to see for themselves the quality of Tinnin Paints.”