Project
By Yunus Yusuf
Lagos, Dec. 11, 2025 (NAN) Sahara Group Foundation has unveiled the Sahara Community Impact Project (SCIP), an initiative designed to accelerate economic transformation across Africa through community-led entrepreneurship.
Speaking during a media interactive session in Lagos, the Foundation’s Director, Ms Chidilim Menakaya, said the project would establish community business hubs that harness local economic opportunities to foster enterprise growth and strengthen small businesses.
Menakaya said the hubs would empower local entrepreneurs, create jobs, and build resilient value chains across participating communities.
“At Sahara Group Foundation, we define impact as the ability to drive real, sustainable transformation in the lives of individuals and the communities we serve.
“SCIP embodies this vision by creating business hubs that not only empower local entrepreneurs but also propel economic resilience and innovation across Africa,” she said.
Menakaya noted that Sahara Group Foundation serves as the social impact arm of Sahara Group, a leading international energy and infrastructure conglomerate.
Also speaking, Mr Bethel Obioma, Head of Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, said SCIP represents a long-term commitment to building sustainable communities through capacity development, job creation, and strategic partnerships.
According to him, the initiative will help reduce resource waste, enhance production efficiency, and strengthen the competitiveness of local communities while preserving their unique identities.
“SCIP will pilot in Nigeria and is designed to be scalable and replicable across Africa, setting a new benchmark for corporate social investment.
The project will officially kick off in January 2026, when it will begin receiving applications from communities and entrepreneurs via the Foundation’s official platforms.
“Following a rigorous selection process, successful applicants will undergo training and mentorship to strengthen their business models. SCIP is guided by an in-built assessment framework that ensures sustainability and measurable impact,” Obioma said.
He explained that the Community Business Hubs would offer shared processing and production facilities to help reduce operating costs, improve product quality, and provide training in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, branding, and digital skills.
The hubs will also support improved market access through structured value chains and facilitate financing opportunities via partnerships with financial institutions.
Obioma urged media partners, community leaders, entrepreneurs, and the general public to support and amplify the initiative’s transformational goals.
David Ayinde, Project Lead at Sahara Group Foundation, added that the community referral call for SCIP would go live in the first quarter of 2026.
“Through sustained media engagement and collaborative support from all stakeholders, we envision SCIP becoming a beacon of sustainable development, empowering communities to grow from within,” Ayinde said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
YO/AWA
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Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa