Sahara Group has flagged off the “Responsibly Sahara” initiative to enhance the leading energy and infrastructure conglomerate’s sustainability footprint across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Ejiro Gray, Director, Governance and Sustainability, Sahara Group, said the initiative would embody Sahara Group’s march towards greening its operations progressively to promote access to clean energy and environmental sustainability.
“The Responsibly Sahara initiative represents our very deliberate commitment to sustainability right from the Board, Management, and business leaders to our next generation of young graduate management trainees. It is our insignia for sustainability, our enduring call to action to over 6,000 Sahara Group employees to always make a difference when it comes to securing the future today,” she said.
Gray said Sahara Group would continue to channel investments towards shoring up its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) footprint across the energy conglomerate’s upstream, midstream, downstream, power and infrastructure businesses.
According to her, Sahara’s membership of leading global carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) research organisation, CO2CRC demonstrates its commitment to reducing its emissions footprint and building a more sustainable business model.
“We are happy to lead the quest for a just and equitable energy transition in Africa by subjecting our operations and processes to the highest sustainability standards as well as supporting and investing in initiatives that will help galvanise more action towards clean energy for all,” she added.
Gray said Sahara Foundation, the Group’s social responsibility vehicle had since streamlined its activities to drive the overarching sustainability focus of Sahara. “Promoting access to energy and sustainable environments are the key focus areas of Sahara Foundation and we have already implemented a number of projects towards this objective.
Sahara Foundation launched the Sahara STEAMers Program—an initiative that encourages young African students to explore ways of proffering solutions to global issues through Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). The initiative which kicked off last year in Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda, is set to expand into more African countries from 2023.
The second cohort of the Sahara Impact Fund, a Sahara Foundation initiative designed to empower young African social entrepreneurs, provided seed funding to beneficiaries from over 10 countries in Africa towards creating solutions that promote access to energy.
Sahara Group has a fleet of four LPG vessels, promoting access to clean energy across Africa, while the use of electric buggies, scooters and bicycles continue to de-carbonise the environment across the energy conglomerate’s power operations.