October 3, 2018

Sahara Group’s company–wide games, The Saharalympics, lived up to its billing with amazing track and field performances that saw staff win  70 medals in the keenly contested completion that was designed to promote excellence and team spirit at the leading energy and infrastructure conglomerate.

The Saharalympics competition which kicked off by 10.am at the Campus Mini Stadium, Lagos Island on Saturday, September 29, 2018, attracted hundreds of Sahara Group staff from the energy giant’s various locations in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Europe.

A total of 6 teams jostled for medals and glory at the track and field competition. They include Asharami Synergy (Downstream Division), Asharami Energy (Upstream Division), Sahara Power Group, Egbin Power Plc., Ikeja Electric and First Independent Power Limited (all of the Power Division) Centrum, SIVC and CVL (Infrastructure Division) and Sahara Group Ltd- the organisation’s innovation and strategy nerve centre.

Of the 70 gold, silver and bronze medals handed out at the close of the event; forty-two medals were shared among Ikeja Electric, Asharami Synergy, and Sahara Group respectively. Ikeja Electric had the distinction of scoring the highest number of gold medals to emerge the overall winners of the 2018 Saharalympics. The companies which occupied the fourth, fifth and sixth positions include Egbin Power, Centrum and Asharami Energy.

Bethel Obioma, Head Corporate Communications said the Saharalympics had become a phenomenon that is attracting global interest, especially as it clearly demonstrates the role of sports in enhancing excellence, team performance, and sustainability. “Sahara Group is proud of the Saharalympics and how the platform is evolving in line with global standards. It is amazing and remarkable that participants from the previous editions have not lost the drive and enthusiasm that saw them achieve remarkable sporting feats while our new colleagues making their Saharalympics debuts have also embraced our values, adding to the swell of physical and intellectual talent that runs right across the organization.”

The warmth and enthusiasm of the crowd were just as palpable when former Nigerian Super Eagles captain and Everton central defender Joseph Yobo made a special appearance to kick off the Women’s football game.

“The atmosphere was amazing and the organization of the event was exceptional. Sahara Group put up a spectacle that I would always remember. The athletes were quite competitive but still upheld the values of fair play and teamwork. Their determination to work hard and play hard was outstanding,” said Yobo.

The biennial event comes up again in 2020 when many more participants are expected given the ongoing expansion drive of the Sahara Group across the globe.

“For now, with the memories still fresh, Saharians are left with a series of vivid snapshots: EXCO members aggressively popping balloons as they squared off against their peers in a one of a kind ‘Treasure Hunt’, the various teams trading hilarious banters and the sheer spectacle of witnessing the might and grit of the brawniest athletes pitted against each other in a Tug of War. 2020 may look like forever, but one thing is sure, Sahara Group will raise the bar higher again, we always do,” enthused Obioma.

Lagos, Nigeria.

Leading International Energy and Infrastructure Conglomerate, Sahara Group has raised the performance bar a notch higher as staff from its various locations across the globe gather in Lagos, Nigeria to trade tackles and light up the tracks at the third edition of the Saharalympics.

At the stroke of 8 a.m on Saturday September 29, 2018, the band will strike the opening chord, one hundred pairs of training shoes will ground stomp in unison and the march past will begin, signaling the official start of the biennial games at the Campos Square Mini Stadium, Igbosere, Nigeria

Conceived in 2014 to serve as a rallying platform and celebration of Sahara’s diversity, the event represents the energy giant’s commitment to excellence, team work, integrity and professionalism.

Speaking on what inspired the games, Bethel Obioma, Head Corporate Communications said: “Team work, excellence, tenacity and integrity are some of the most critical qualities needed for success in any competitive sport. They also happen to be at the core of Sahara’s work ethic whether individually and as a collective organization. Essentially the Saharalympics is easily one of the fullest and most vibrant expressions of who we are as an organization.”

This year, there are over twenty gender inclusive games and competitions including relay races, 100m, 200m and 400m sprints, football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, scrabble, chess, potato sack race, tug of war, treasure hunt and the Egg & Spoon race.

Obioma added: “The Saharalympics is certainly very competitive. Whilst there are activities which demand extreme mental and physical commitment we have also added events like the Egg & Spoon and Potato Sack race as well as the treasure hunt because we relish the lighter, more hilarious moments that accentuate the fun but intensely competitive spirit of the day.”

Several companies of the conglomerate will compete against each other in a bid to rack up the highest number of gold medals and best 2016 records. The companies include Asharami Synergy (Downstream Division), Asharami Energy (Upstream Division), Sahara Power Group, Egbin Power Plc., Ikeja Electric and First Independent Power Limited(all of the Power Division, Centrum, SIVC and CVL (Infrastructure Division) and Sahara Group Ltd- the organisation’s innovation and strategy nerve centre.

Speaking further, Obioma said “the beauty of bringing all the companies together for this special day is that each one of them has a unique character as an entity. Each has its own colours, cheer leading squad and lingua franca. The harmonizing factor of the day is the fun we derive in our camaraderie and the pride we take in knowing that while we are fiercely competitive and daring with our sublime skills, we always play fair and square knowing full well that ultimately, we are all winners.”

One of the highlights of the biennial event is the Novelty football match which usually occurs towards the end of the event. It is the one event that cuts across the spectrum by bringing men and women employed at all levels of the organization and across every border of operation and business affairs.

Staff from the Dubai office relish the chance to take on their counterparts who may be sat in Geneva, Singapore, Lagos, Kenya, Guinea, Accra, Lusaka or Dar es Salaam. Even more anticipated is an opportunity for the over 3,000 strong workforce gathered at the stadium to see C-level executives tackled or take a tumble as they pace down the field for dear life, looking to put the ball in the net.

Colin Raccach a business development manager from the Dubai office enthused “the Saharalympic games are easily one of the most anticipated events that embody the Sahara Culture. It gives Saharians  – that’s how we describe ourselves – the opportunity to experience, participate and deepen our spirit of unity. Sharing the Saharalympics moment with colleagues from all over the world is such a great bonding experience. I felt a spirit of sameness with my colleagues that I anticipate reliving every two years.”

There will be two hundred and ten medals handed out to winners on Saturday. Capping it off is a trophy ceremony in which the winning team will be recognized along with the first and second runner ups.

September 10, 2018.

The ability to read and write is not only a fundamental human right but in the 21^st century, it is an essential tool for human survival. Like Darwin propounded in his theory of evolution by Natural Selection, species that fail to acquire the abilities [skills] and features for survival or competitiveness in an ever-evolving world will die – commonly referred to as survival of the fittest. Survival of the fittest refers to the ability of a species to survive and reproduce its kind.

Literacy, at the very least, in its most basic form – ability to read and write – is a critical evolutionary feature for any human in the 21^st century. It is becoming unthinkable that any human can make any significant impact or progress in the times that we live without the most basic form of education.

The International Literacy Day is a day set aside every year to remind world leaders and policymakers of the importance of education/literacy to the development of a people and the growth of a nation.

Globally, it is estimated that at least 750 million adults, including 102 million young people (15-24 years old), lack basic literacy skills. Further estimates show that six out of ten children and adolescents (617 million) are not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. These are alarming statistics for the survival prospects of these millions of people. If they are to make it to the next generation, they must acquire these literacy skills for survival.

Literacy is the basis for lifelong learning and plays a crucial foundational role in the creation of sustainable, prosperous and peaceful societies. In addition, it equips people with the abilities/skills to make a living and develop key resources for their growth and development.

According to Bethel Obioma, Head, Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, the leading energy and infrastructure conglomerate has invested in and supported various projects  projects and programmes aimed at improving youth and child literacy across Sahara’s locations in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

In 2014 and 2015, Sahara Foundation implemented a book drive aimed at improving the interest of children in reading. The intention was to build up an interest in the children to learn early the importance of life-long learning. Staff members also volunteered to read to children in those schools. “The sessions remain evergreen in the minds of the children, providing the foundation for a strong bond between Sahara and the beneficiaries. Helping people pursue and relaise their dreams is a venture that Sahara is passionate about,” Obioma said.

In addition, undergraduates of the University of Lagos, through AIESEC Lagos were supported in their drive to equip other young students with the knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how it relates to their development.

Sahara Foundation’s support for the Vocational Centre in Surulere represents a sustainable platform for propagating skills acquisition and development. At the centre, young people are equipped with vocational skills in catering, hairdressing, photography, and ICT among others. Sahara’s core support for the centre was for the upgrade of the industrial kitchen to a modern one for the beneficiaries to acquire skills that they need to become self-sufficient catering entrepreneurs. Through our support for this centre, over 1000 young caterers have benefited with more than half of them becoming gainfully employed or business owners.

In a bid to develop the skills of young people at scale, Sahara Foundation launched the Saharahub digital platform to empower millions of young people from around the world with the needed skills for improved lives.

This year, Sahara Foundation in partnership with Realizing Education for Development (READ) International are empowering 30 young men and women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The support to these beneficiaries includes startup capital, vocational training, business advisory and post-training support as well market access. In line with our Extrapreneurship framework, the goal is to ensure that the supported beneficiaries – all youths – are able to start and sustain successful businesses while empowering other young Tanzanians as their business grows.

Oluseyi Ojurongbe, Sahara Foundation Manager said the energy giant would continue to seek avenues for promoting literacy and skills development.

“At Sahara, we believe that education is essential to economic sufficiency. As such, we support education and execute literacy and education programmes. The subject of literacy (and skills development) is so important to us that from inception, Education and Capacity Building has been one of the four pillars of our Personal and Corporate Social Responsibility focus. We have and will continue to support the literacy and skills development of young people.”

September 4, 2018.

Sahara Group Co-Founder and Executive Director, Temitope Shonubi is one of the speakers at this year’s Africa Oil and Power conference scheduled to hold in Cape Town from September 5 to 7, 2018.

The theme for this year’s conference is “Energy Coalitions” focusing on the importance of greater collaboration and partnerships within and across oil and power sub-sectors.  

High level stakeholders including oil ministers, regulators and CEOs from international and indigenous oil and gas companies will deliberate on the best way to drive Africa’s energy sector forward ‘through energy coalitions, from regional cooperation at government level and private companies coordinating on development and financing deals to how the private and public sectors can collaborate to transform the sector.

Temitope will speak on oil trading trends within West Africa on a panel which will also feature Torbjorn Tornqvist, CEO, Gunvor and  Russel Hardy, Group CEO, Vitol.

The panel is expected to address topics such as price volatility in oil trading and the peculiarities of market forces from one trading hub to another. They will also discuss how financial models are being reexamined to suit the new business paradigm. 

Describing stakeholder collaboration as the “lifeline of oil and power sectors in Africa”, Temitope said this would boost capacity and intra-African trade in light of untapped opportunities on the continent. “This is a great opportunity to discuss new frontiers for the future of oil and gas trading in Africa. Among others, we need harmonization of petroleum product specifications amongst countries to drive growth in intra-African trade. The domestic policies for oil and gas infrastructure as well as trade should be aligned with a more regional and global objective.”

Temitope explained that oil and gas traders in Africa would also need to address the dearth of experienced traders to boost the continent’s human capital profile ahead of the projected future growth in the sector. “Africa needs to invest more in capacity building in line with global standards. We are spearheading this narrative on the continent through various mentorship and specialized training programmes for our people at Sahara and other beneficiaries at our trading hubs in Geneva and Singapore.”

Speaking further, Temitope noted that the midstream and downstream infrastructure deficit could be addressed through incentives/policies by governments to ensure sustainable infrastructural growth that may be funded in partnership or solely by producers/traders.  

Whilst oil traders were one of very few groups which were thought to have benefited from the oil price crash of 2014, the underlying effect of the crash was that the global oil and gas related economy shrunk. 

Future prospects within trading arena will also be central to the conversation. The panel will discuss the opportunities that still exist for trading professionals especially after the shocks of the last three years. 

Natural gas production is expected to be topical as West Africa is expected to dominate natural gas production in Sub-Saharan Africa in the long term, accounting for 81% of the region’s natural gas growth from 2010 to 2040. East Africa’s natural gas production is projected to rise by an annual average of 6% from 2010 to 2040.

September 1, 2018.

The Board and management of The Sahara Group of Companies wishes to inform the general public and other stakeholders that one of our co-founders and Executive Director, Mr. Tonye Patrick Cole has formally informed the Board of his decision to participate in active politics.

The Sahara Group wishes to state for the record that as a non-political and non-partisan group, it is not affiliated to any political party in any country we operate in and does not engage in Nigerian politics.

Mr. Cole’s decision to participate in active politics is his individual preference and choice to which he is entitled.

In accordance to Sahara Group’s Corporate Governance Charter and International best practice which prohibits any of our key Management or Board members from partaking in active politics, promoting or supporting any particular political organization or ideology, Mr. Tonye Cole has resigned all his Board appointments and day to day responsibilities for the Sahara Group companies and its affiliates with immediate effect.

We take the opportunity to further re-iterate that the Sahara Group of Companies is a non-political organization and has never had any political ties or affiliations to any political party, group or personalities whatsoever in Nigeria or in any of the jurisdictions in which we have business activities.

We are a business focused on delivering value and quality services to our customers, stakeholders and the economy through innovation, efficiency and global best practices.

The Sahara Group is also involved in initiatives, alliances and activities aimed at strengthening its corporate governance and compliance systems. 

Some of these alliances include its partnership with the World Economic Forum’s – Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Funds (SDG-F).

Sahara Group also collaborates with global, regional and national organisations to promote sustainable development and transparency in business.

We take this opportunity to thank Mr. Cole for the years of meritorious and selfless contribution to the growth of the company and we wish him the best in his future endeavours.

Signed,

Board.

August 29, 2018.

Leading power generation and distribution holding company Sahara Power Group Ltd. has announced the commencement of its 2018 Graduate Engineering Program(GEP).

The GEP aims to recruit engineers aged between 21-  27 seeking opportunities to build foundational technical and professional skills with hands-on rotational assignments, strategic technical projects and leadership skills in the group’s power generation operating companies – Egbin Power Plc. and First Independent Power Limited (FIPL).

Sahara Power Group Ltd was established in 2013 as a holding company for the formerly state owned Egbin Power Plc., Ikeja Distribution Company and First Independent Power Limited, Rivers State. It is widely considered one of the most credible industry models of vertical integration in the power sector consisting of two generation plants and a distribution plant.

The  strategic vision of the company to become the largest, most efficient, most effective, privately owned electric power company in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond spurred the creation of the GEP which is delivered through a rigorous selection process and the training of eligible applicants from various fields of the engineering profession including electrical, chemical, electronic and mechanical.

Since 2014 Sahara Power Group has recruited over 130 graduate engineers in the country in line with its commitment to empower the youth and develop local capacity in the power sector. These young engineers have continued to grow their expertise in line with Sahara’s robust human capital development policy.

Explaining what determines an ideal candidate, Ivie Imasogie-Adigun, Head-Sahara Group Human Resources said “ Engineers are a crucial component in any STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) framework. At Sahara, we have embraced innovation as the driver of the framework required  to scale up our human capital development and power generation capacity.”

She added, “Whilst there is high barrier to entry with respect to academic requirements, we are also looking for softs skills in terms of  communication, interpersonal relations and rounded displays of  emotional intelligence. A combination of soft skills and academic acumen move us ever closer to the goals we sought to achieve when we conceived the GEP.

Eligible candidates may submit their applications via http://e-recruiter.ng/portal/spgcareers before the 28^th of September 2018.

August 28, 2018

From endless chants to the ecstatic display of celebration of fans, sports remains a vehicle of global unity. Individuals, regardless of their colour, race or creed are often united in grief and joy in response to the fortunes of their favourite teams. Apart from uniting the world, perhaps, the most potent role of sports lies in its power to promote empowerment and development across the globe.

The ideas and phenomena that make us human are entrenched in sports. From Ancient Greece where sports was originally used for religious purposes to Ancient China where it was used as a means of education (martial arts and warfare training), self-defense and health maintenance to the Aboriginals in Canada who used it for spiritual training, to develop hunting skills and for entertainment to Egypt (where modern day sporting  rules and regulations originated) who used it for health and fitness purposes, we can find that sports has lingered through and even shaped major aspects of the development sequence of humanity.

As part of Sahara Foundation’s effort towards attaining the SDGs, in May 2018, the Foundation worked closely with the UN SDG-F secretariat in developing a tool kit titled ‘Contribution of Sports to the SDGs’. 

“Being part of the project was a huge privilege for us at Sahara Group to align with the plan to integrate sports into the SDG plan given our support for the SDGs and the experience we have had with the impact of the Saharalympics, an in-house biennial sporting event that celebrates competitiveness, unity and excellence at Sahara Group,” says Bethel Obioma, Head, Corporate Communications.

According to Oluseyi Ojurongbe, Manager, Sahara Foundation, the toolkit sheds more light on the impact of sports at local levels to those at global scales, examples of the impact of sports in unifying people and birthing development where most other strategies have failed abound. “The toolkit also contains information on best sports practices in relation to the SDGs, how to develop successful partnerships that can be replicated in various regions of the world, case studies of successful pilots where sports has been used as a tool to address global challenges, and raising visibility of the SDGs globally.”

Ojurongbe explained that the partnership with UNSDGF rides on Sahara’s involvement and key role as part of the United Nations- Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG). In a bid to further reaffirm our commitment to the SDGs, the PSAG Nigeria was established. PSAG Nigeria is aligned towards mobilizing Private Sector and other stakeholder ownership & adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs. The Nigerian PSAG, which stems from the Global PSAG – (UN SDG-F) was formally inaugurated by the Vice President of Nigeria in February 2017.

Sport has proven to be a cost-effective and flexible tool for achieving the SDGs especially in promoting peace and development objectives. In resolution 70/1, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, adopted in 2015, the role of sports in advancing social progress is further acknowledged.

Babatomiwa Adesida, lead author of the report and former Sahara Foundation Manager – who now works with the UNDP in New York – said the toolkit which was formally launched by the UN SDG-F in July 2018 will be adopted by the private sector, non- profit organizations, civil society organizations and governments across the globe. “This approach will be used to promote peaceful co-existence, mentorship, education and extrapreneurship,” he added.

The full report can be accessed by clicking SDGs Youth World Cup.

August 13, 2018.

Energy Giant, Sahara Group reiterates the need for the global collaboration towards providing opportunities and safe spaces for young people to pursue their aspirations. “As a leading international energy and infrastructure conglomerate, we are passionate about promoting youth empowerment, especially at our locations in over 38 countries across Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia. We call it giving wings to aspirations,” says Bethel Obioma, the company’s head of corporate communications.

The Sahara workforce comprises 65 percent youth population, a unique collection of vibrant young men and women of who add incalculable value to the energy giant’s continuing growth. These young experts churn out innovative ideas from the sanctuary of the safe spaces that the organization provides – a work environment that celebrates diversity with zero tolerance for all manner of discrimination.

Recently, Sahara signed on Zuriel Oduwole, a 16-year-old girl education advocate as its ambassador. Working with Zuriel as Sahara’s Girl Child Education Ambassador, the partnership is expected to amplify the message of gender equality and access to quality education to world leaders as well as other stakeholders.

Apparently excited about the project, Oluseyi Ojurongbe, Manager Sahara Foundation says, “It is a good day for African girls where most of the projects will be executed and even a better day for girls all around the world. After all, one empowered girl is a huge leap towards the emergence of a better world.” Of key significance, in terms of our contribution to the empowerment of young people and the creation of safe spaces for them, is our virtual extrapreneurship hub. This platform goes beyond providing a safe space for young people to interact and develop by also providing and connecting them to opportunities that help them grow, create impact, and reach their aspirations.

Zuriel Oduwole training young students in the art of film making

Offline, Sahara collaborates with various stakeholders to provide safe spaces to nurture the dreams of young people. A case in point is the renovation and state of the art upgrade of the industrial kitchen at the Lagos State Vocational Centre in Surulere where over six hundred young people in the Surulere community annually acquire food-making skills in an atmosphere that promotes learning and engenders creativity.

This results in improved income generating capacity for the beneficiaries in line with goal 8 of the SDGs – Decent Work and Economic Growth. Similar interventions have been implemented in countries across Africa including Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. In partnership with Enactus Nigeria, Sahara encourages innovations among undergraduates who design brilliant and transformative sustainable solutions to address the Sustainable Development Goals.

Sahara Foundation has supported the Enactus Nigeria National Competition where these innovations from students of different institutions around the Nigeria and showcase. Recently, the partnership was reloaded to support some of the innovators to create marketable and scalable products out of their solutions. In 2016, Sahara launched the Grooming Film Extrapreneurs initiative aimed at promoting a hub of enterprise that connects budding filmmakers with stakeholders that can help hone their skills to enhance productivity, excellence and sustainability.

In its first year, three finalists were granted an internship with Kunle Afolayan, one of Africa’s ace movie directors as well as sponsored for furthering skills development at the London Film School. The second edition of the initiative had over one hundred girls (15 to 20 years old) from three West African Countries – Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria – acquire basic film-making and editing training from one of the world’s youngest film-makers, Zuriel Oduwole.

These interventions not only empower the beneficiaries for self-reliance and improved economic capacity, it also helps girls/women who are the major beneficiaries attain an increased sense of self-worth, self-belief and confidence to take on big goals. Sahara’s commitment to the development of young people has led to interventions in line with goal four of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Quality Education.

From the rehabilitation of seven classrooms and an upgrade of the Technical Workshop at the Manhean Senior Secondary School in Ghana to the upgrade of the library at Pugu Secondary School in Tanzania, Sahara Group remains committed to the improvement of education for young people across Africa. In addition, in the past four years, over 100 full scholarships covering tuition, uniforms, books and feeding during schooling hours have been given to secondary school students in Nigeria who would otherwise have been unable to get an education.

Sahara Group Upgrades Manhean Senior Secondary School, Ghana, Technical Workshop

David Ekugum one of Sahara Foundation’s young program officers explains that Sahara’s interventions have also enhanced access to water and sanitary facilities in schools and communities, resulting in the wellbeing of students. Over the years, Sahara Foundation has implemented numerous Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes in schools and communities across Africa. This includes over fifty borehole projects in Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria; toilet constructions in schools where they were either dilapidated or none existent including schools in Ghana, Nigeria and Tanzania.

These interventions have resulted in improved school attendance but particularly improved safety for the students who prior to such interventions had to use bushes as their toilet. ” In our experience, girls have been the biggest beneficiaries of our SWASH (School Water Sanitation and Hygiene) Projects as open/bush defecation/urination put them at more risk than boys. The toilets constructed provide safe spaces of hygiene for these students,” says David who is passionate about the SDG for all mantra.

As the world celebrates the International Youth Day 2018, Sahara Group reaffirms its commitment to giving wings to young people’s aspirations by creating an enabling environment and safe spaces for them to express their talent and enterprise.