How Sahara Group Outsmarted Bias: Tonye Cole Reveals Why the Firm Adopted a Foreign Identity to Break Nigeria’s ‘Colonial Mentality’Sahara Group co founder Tonye Cole has revealed that the company deliberately adopted a foreign corporate identity and even created the impression of having a British representative during its early years to overcome what he described as Nigeria’s entrenched “colonial mentality” and widespread skepticism toward young indigenous entrepreneurs. According to him, many potential clients and business partners were more willing to trust foreign companies than locally owned enterprises, regardless of competence or capability. Cole said the strategy was not intended to deceive stakeholders but to navigate a business environment where foreign brands were often perceived as more credible than indigenous businesses. The entrepreneur noted that Sahara Group eventually abandoned the approach as it established its reputation through consistent performance, professionalism, and successful delivery of projects. In previous interviews, he argued that African economies should prioritize indigenous innovation and cross-border collaboration instead of relying excessively on imported ideas and foreign expertise.