The Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the Imo State Government and Coordinator of the One Kindred, One Business Initiative (OKOBI) on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, held a town hall meeting with critical stakeholders in Owerri, as part of efforts to strengthen community-owned enterprises across the state.
Addressing participants at the meeting, the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Her Excellency, Lady Chinyere Ihuoma Ekomaru, PhD, who represented Governor Hope Uzodimma, disclosed that 65 community-owned businesses established under the OKOBI Initiative had completed their risk assessments and business plan development and were now ready for formal registration.
She explained that the initiative was established to move beyond infrastructural development by creating opportunities for citizens to meaningfully participate in economic activities, create wealth and jobs, and build sustainable livelihoods within their communities.
According to the Deputy Governor, OKOBI is founded on the Igbo philosophy of “Igwebuike,” which emphasizes the strength of collective action. She said the initiative encourages kindreds to pool their resources, talents and collective strengths to establish and own businesses.
Lady Ekomaru noted that 65 community-owned businesses across the state were awaiting formal registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), stressing that registration was only the beginning, while sustainability remained the major challenge.
She therefore called for commitment, transparency and good governance among participating communities, while urging government agencies, financial institutions, private-sector partners and technical experts to provide the necessary support to enable the businesses to become profitable, resilient and sustainable.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor and State Coordinator of OKOBI, Dr. Kenneth Amaeshi, disclosed that about 120 communities had so far been enlisted in the initiative, with 65 of them meeting the required risk-assessment criteria and developing business proposals.
Amaeshi explained that the next phase would involve the formal registration of the enterprises, with efforts focused on making their business proposals bankable and capable of attracting appropriate financing.
He said the state government was engaging banks and corporate organisations to develop financial products and capacity-building programmes specifically suited to community-owned businesses, rather than making government the sole source of funding.
The Chief Economic Adviser also stressed that OKOBI was non-political and designed to create self-sustaining enterprises that would remain owned and managed by communities irrespective of changes in government.
He maintained that the long-term success of the initiative would depend largely on the participating communities taking ownership, developing sound business structures, creating jobs and generating sustainable economic value within the state.
Responding to questions from journalists, the Technical Assistant in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Mrs. Jovita Agwu, highlighted the significance of the OKOBI Initiative and the need for participating communities to take full ownership of their businesses and ensure that they were properly structured for sustainability.
Agwu explained that the programme was designed to help communities move beyond merely generating business ideas to developing viable enterprises capable of creating employment and generating sustainable economic value.
She stressed the importance of proper planning, effective management and active community participation in ensuring the success of the businesses, noting that the initiative was designed to establish enterprises capable of standing on their own rather than depending permanently on government support.
Report By Fredrick Njoku