SAHARA CLINCHES FT SPONSERSHIP DEAL

By NATION REPORTER SAHARA Group has struck a gold sponsorship collaboration deal with the Financial Times at the inaugural FT Nigeria Summit scheduled to take place in Lagos on Thursday, May 31, 2018.

Sahara Group head of corporate communications, Bethel Obioma said the partnership aimed at helping the country re-examine its investment climate.

“It is great to be working with a venerable media institution like the Financial Times on this summit, especially at a time when Nigeria needs to reexamine and re-purpose our complex investment climate for the next critical economic growth and recovery plan,” Mr Obioma said.

Sahara Group’s executive director and co-founder, Tonye Cole who is expected to have an interview with the BBC just before the event to give views on the importance of leadership and entrepreneurship to future economic and socio-developmental growth in the country, said leadership and enterprise were a common denominator for national economic emancipation.

“Leadership and enterprise are the bedrock of nation building. This is a singular opportunity to generate ideas on two such critical subjects and to directly address the next generation as to why and how they would be intrinsic to fulfilling Nigeria’s socio-economic potential in the years to come,” Mr Cole said.

A statement released by Financial Times live ahead of the event read:

“As the FT prepares to host its inaugural Nigeria Summit, we look forward to exploring the huge economic potential and challenges the country faces to build a resilient economy. With the support of Sahara Group and other key sponsors, the summit will add vital insight for senior leaders, and create a valuable day of engagement and thought leadership.”

The multinational energy and infrastructure conglomerate is one of the lead sponsors in the first outing of the summit to be staged in West Africa. The theme this year is “Dispelling uncertainty and building resilience” concerning the recovering but vulnerable Nigerian economy. Nigeria has rightly been described as a country of ‘huge potential and tough challenges’. Whilst the economy is evidently returning to form, politicians and pundits alike have agreed that any progress achieved in the past year could be ephemeral if the public and private sectors do not collaborate on designing systems, institutions and policies that truly entrench economic gains and the sustainable commercial viability of Africa’s largest and most populous economy.It is expected that there will be over 200 people in attendance, bringing together key government heads, opinion leaders and members of the press.