The Group Managing Director, Sahara Power Group, Kola Adesina, is an oil and gas mogul, who has brought enriching ideas into the industry and the power sector of Nigeria. He has proven himself to be a man of many parts who possesses a respectable pedigree and reputable circle of friends, with whom there are a recycling and recreation of brilliant ideas.
A man of many parts, Kola is a consummate entrepreneur with experience that traverses academia, finance, energy, trade and diplomacy. He currently leads the vision of Sahara Power Group aimed at bringing energy to life by deploying diversified power sources to light up lives and businesses in Nigeria and across Africa.
Being a bachelor’s holder in Insurance, Kola also has a Masters in Business, a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Insurance. His trajectory in life has been amazing. From lecturing to Insurance & risk management services. He navigated to energy with the intentional plan to bring ideas and energy to life in the early 2000s.
Kola combines his years of management and business diplomacy experience into creating and executing innovative strategies for governments across sub Saharan Africa in the energy sector.
56-year-old Kola Adesina believes reading is an integral part of his success story, coupled with imaginations and engagement. This has helped refine his ideas, which has led to the creation of his conglomerate.
Adesina is passionate about the progress of the Nation. This led him to serve as a member of the Presidential Committee on Accelerated Expansion of the Electricity Infrastructure in Nigeria, which culminated in the unbundling of PHCN successor companies. Adesina runs with the belief that nothing is impossible if you believe.
His foray into the power sector began in 2000. Between 2000 and 2002, his company, Sahara Group supplied diesel to power the city of Abuja, which was about 55MW. He eventually partnered with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) to acquire Egbin Power Plc, a process that was concluded in 2013 in line with the nation’s privatization exercise. In pursuit of our strategy of deploying an integrated power infrastructure, we also acquired the Ikeja Electricity Distribution PLC in 2013 and the River State power generation assets in 2014. In total, Sahara Power Group currently operates power generation facilities with a total of approximately 1,750MW of available capacity.
A man who cherishes relationships, he keeps his friends very close. This explains the kind of respectable pedigree and circle of friends the energy magnate has, among who is billionaire businessman Femi Otedola.
Mr. Kola Adesina is a flawless entrepreneur, with an experience that traverses academia, finance, energy, trade and diplomacy.
His conglomerate, Sahara Group, is leading international energy (power, oil and gas) and infrastructure conglomerate with operations in over 38 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Kola currently leads the vision of Sahara Power Group aimed at bringing energy to life by deploying diversified power sources to light up lives, businesses and sustainable interventions in Nigeria and across Africa.
Specifically, he oversees Sahara Group’s affiliates including Ikeja Electricity, the largest privately-owned power distribution business in South Saharan Africa (SSA), Egbin Power Plc – the largest thermal plant in SSA (with 1,320MW installed capacity with ongoing expansion plans to increase the capacity over two-fold, providing a quarter of the total generating capacity in Nigeria) and First Independent Power Limited.
He is a highflying director who manages a conglomerate with operations across Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia, whose experience traverses various fields of human endeavours.
Kola is a voice to reckon with on energy-related issues, especially the power sector in Africa, who is also passionate about empowering young people.
Sahara Power Group’s affiliates include Ikeja Electric, the largest privately-owned power distribution business in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), Egbin Power Plc – the largest privately run thermal power plant in SSA and First Independent Power Limited. Adesina chairs the Board of Ikeja Electric.
At Sahara Group, he directed many initiatives, including nation-wide strategic management of the supply chain of fuel to the Emergency Power Plant of the defunct National Electricity Power Authority, led the Majestic Oil delegation on the acquisition of the Sierra Leone Refinery, managed the crude oil contract of the Group in Cote D’Ivoire, became the Director of Infrastructure, responsible for the acquisition of strategic assets in Africa.
A Philanthropist to the core, Adesina is passionate about empowering young people and takes great pride in mentoring youths to seek creative ways of galvanising their energies for sustained excellence and productivity.
He takes great pride in mentoring youths to seek creative ways of galvanizing their energies for sustained excellence and productivity.
Olamide Adeniji is a member of the Editorial Board of TheScript Newspaper
