By Chiamaka Ekwuwe
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has reiterated his administration’s commitment to sustainable economic growth through the empowerment of local communities across the state.
Uzodimma stated this yesterday in Owerri at a town hall meeting for participants in the Community-Owned One Kindred, One Business Initiative, OKOBI, in the state.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Chinyere Ekomaru, disclosed that 65 community-owned businesses had been established across the state and were awaiting formal registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.
According to him, the OKOBI initiative draws from the Igbo philosophy of Igwebuike, meaning strength in unity, to promote collective enterprise, wealth creation and economic development at the grassroots.
“When kindreds pool their collective strengths, resources and talents, and take ownership of an enterprise, they can achieve far more than any one individual,” Uzodimma said.
He said sustainable development must go beyond infrastructural projects to include viable economic opportunities for citizens within their communities.
The governor stressed that incorporation was only the first step, noting that the sustainability of the businesses would depend largely on effective governance, transparency and professional management.
“Incorporation is only the beginning, not the destination. The critical question before us now is sustainability,” he said.
Uzodimma charged community managers to run the enterprises professionally and transparently to enable them to compete effectively in the market.
He assured stakeholders that the state government would continue to provide an enabling environment through supportive policies and strategic linkages with financial institutions and private sector partners.
The governor said the ultimate measure of the programme would be its impact on the livelihoods of people in rural communities.
“Success will not be measured merely by registered businesses, but by jobs created, families lifted out of poverty, and communities transformed,” he added.
Meanwhile, the immediate past state chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr MacDonald Ebere, pledged to personally sponsor 100 communities to establish OKOBI enterprises.
Ebere also called on commercial banks, corporate organisations and private investors to provide financial backing, market linkages and technical support to sustain the community-owned businesses.
He said while government had provided the policy framework for the initiative, the long-term survival and expansion of the enterprises would require active participation by the private sector.
“I call on stakeholders, financial institutions, and development partners to invest in these community-owned businesses to transform local enterprises into engines of prosperity,” Ebere said.
“I am volunteering to personally sponsor 100 additional communities to start their own OKOBI businesses so our people can generate employment and wealth,” he added.
Earlier, the Chief Economic Adviser to the Imo State Government, Prof. Kenneth Amaeshi, said the Federal Government had adopted OKOBI, an economic model developed in Imo, as part of a national strategy to tackle youth unemployment.
Amaeshi explained that the initiative was designed to transform informal local ventures into group-owned, profit-driven and registered corporate entities capable of contributing to economic growth.
“OKOBI serves as a platform to convert various local skills, such as poultry, piggery, and palm oil production, into viable commercial enterprises,” he said.
He disclosed that out of the 656 autonomous communities in the state, 120 had initially expressed interest in the initiative, while 65 had successfully progressed from basic concepts to formal business proposals.
According to him, the model incorporates data collection and professional record-keeping to enable rural entrepreneurs to access formal credit from commercial banks.
Amaeshi said the initiative complemented the state’s broader employment strategy, including digital skills acquisition for 300,000 youths, aimed at stimulating job creation across different sectors.
He further disclosed that the programme had attracted international interest from institutions, including the London School of Economics and investors in Bangladesh.
According to him, a prominent American firm had also screened 10 local OKOBI businesses for possible direct foreign investment.
He said strategic partnerships had also emerged locally, with corporate organisations such as IHS and religious bodies, including the Anglican Communion, integrating the model into their social impact programmes.
“The Anglican Communion alone has committed to establishing 1,500 OKOBI enterprises across its parishes through dedicated coordinators,” Amaeshi said.
He emphasised that the initiative was built around collaborative channels, commercial viability and institutional partnerships rather than direct government financial handouts.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the State Investment Promotion Agency, Dr Jude Nzeako, said the government expanded OKOBI to rural communities to boost local production, drive exports and strengthen food security across the state.
The Commissioner for Entrepreneurship, Skill Acquisition and Social Responsibility, Prof. Chinonye Love-Moses, pledged the full support of her ministry to the initiative, describing enterprise creation as “essential to preventing poverty.”
Similarly, the Commissioner for Finance, Dr Chuck Chukwuemeka, said the government was establishing financial frameworks to provide targeted loan facilities to participants through commercial banking channels.
Chukwuemeka said existing businesses under the OKOBI programme would receive priority access to the credit facilities as the initiative expands across the state’s autonomous communities.
In separate remarks, Mr Petrus Ukachukwu of Abia-Omuma community, Dr Chris Chikezie of Ndegwu community and Chief Emmanuel Oji of Ife community, among others, commended Uzodimma’s vision behind the OKOBI initiative.
They acknowledged that government alone could not provide all the resources required to grow the businesses, but appealed to the state government to fast-track their registration with the CAC and provide financial assistance to enable the enterprises to expand.
The 65 participating communities have ventured into businesses including fish and livestock farming, shoe making, poultry, piggery, palm oil and timber mills.
Other areas include vegetable and cassava farming, renewable energy, cassava processing, bakeries, water factories, abattoirs, palm plantations, feed mills and honey extraction.