Sahara Group co-founder Tonye Cole has explained how the company used a foreign identity in its early years as it tried to establish itself in Nigeria's oil industry. According to his account, the move was designed to overcome what he described as a colonial mindset in the market, where foreign-linked businesses were often viewed more favorably.
Cole also said the founders created a fictitious British figure as part of that early positioning. The strategy, he indicated, was not simply about branding but about dealing with prejudice tied to both origin and age, as younger Nigerian entrepreneurs struggled to be taken seriously in a sector dominated by older, more established players.
His comments point to a broader challenge for local businesses in Nigeria: the perception that international identity can carry more credibility than indigenous ownership. In that environment, presenting Sahara Group through a foreign-facing image appears to have been a practical response to biases that affected business access and trust.
The disclosure offers a closer look at the realities many founders faced while trying to break into high-stakes industries. It also adds to ongoing conversations about colonial-era attitudes, local enterprise, and the barriers that Nigerian entrepreneurs have had to navigate to build major companies.
