SAHARA GROUP @ 25 Sometime in 1996, some young Nigerian entrepreneurs established the Sahara Group to take advantage of opportunities in oil and gas trading. Following 25 years of disruptive and brilliant masterstrokes of knowledge, humility, business integrity, diverse human capital, sustainable corporate citizenship and robust stakeholder network, Sahara Group has grown into a leading energy conglomerate with footprints in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The inspirational Sahara story has the potential of transforming the unfolding global energy sector. Kunle Aderinokun writes History is rife with enthralling stories of notable men and women who made a name for themselves through the brazen belief that out of Africa could emerge giants in industry and trade. Think of the Lion of Mali, whose empire grew to span West Africa and the Sahara Desert with equally vast trading activities spreading into North Africa. The image of a man from the middle ages holding an imperial golden globe readily comes to mind. As his territory and fame grew to legendary proportions, so did the economic status of his people. Mansa Musa was his name, and he once held the commercial strings of sub-Saharan Africa in his hand. His vast wealth rivalled probably only by Marvel Comic’s first black superhero known as King T’Challa of the fabled country of Wakanda.