The Sahara Group Foundation has introduced the Sahara Community Impact Project (SCIP), a new initiative focused on establishing purpose-built business hubs designed to strengthen grassroots enterprises, enhance productivity at the community level, and foster long-term economic sustainability.
The initiative, which will commence with a pilot investment exceeding N100 million, is structured to support niche businesses across various sectors, advance economic empowerment, and facilitate the intergenerational continuity of community-based enterprises.
Speaking at the official unveiling of the project in Lagos, the Director of the Sahara Group Foundation, Chidilim Menakaya, explained that SCIP is aimed at identifying communities with strong commercial potential and providing them with the tools and structure needed to build resilient enterprises capable of scaling beyond their current operators.
She explained that the Foundation’s approach is anchored on the concept of extrapreneurship, which prioritises individuals who demonstrate exceptional passion and resilience in building their businesses while contributing meaningfully to the growth and wellbeing of their communities.
While introducing the project, Menakaya disclosed that SCIP will initially concentrate on strengthening three key community business clusters: fishing communities, cassava-processing collectives, and artisans who utilise water hyacinth. According to her, the programme’s goals include supporting business viability, advancing economic empowerment, minimising waste, enhancing product quality, introducing modern processing methods, and expanding access to financing for local entrepreneurs.
To deliver these outcomes, she outlined a seven-stage implementation framework starting with stakeholder engagement, community sensitisation, and an open call for nominations. This will be followed by detailed needs assessments, capacity development programmes, the establishment of business hubs, full operational rollout, and an ongoing monitoring and evaluation process.
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She emphasised that fairness and openness will be central to the programme’s execution. “We have to make sure there is transparency. We must ensure that access and usage are open to everyone in the community and not limited to a privileged few,” she stated.
The Foundation also revealed that the submission and referral process will formally commence in January, while screening and community mobilisation activities are scheduled to begin in February. Although the pilot phase will be implemented in Nigeria, the initiative is designed to span multiple states and is expected to expand into other African countries from 2027.
Menakaya further highlighted the importance of sustained oversight to guarantee long-term success. “There is no value in implementing a project and abandoning it, because it will fail. That is why we will continuously monitor and evaluate how these hubs are being utilised,” she said.
Also speaking at the event, Sahara Group’s Head of Corporate Communications, Bethel Obioma, noted that the project aligns with Sahara’s broader vision of transforming communities by developing structured business hubs that enable local enterprises to grow, scale, and operate sustainably over time.
