Global Partners Join Imo’s OKOBI Initiative to Drive ₦600 Billion Economic Growth by 2028”
At the recently concluded 2025 Imo Economic Summit in Owerri, global interest in Imo State’s grassroots economic programme soared as two international organisations — Calpe Partners USA and Africa Business Affairs (AfriBA) — committed to partnering with the state under OKOBI’s Micro enterprise Growth Platform.
The OKOBI initiative which stands for “One Kindred, One Business” aims to nurture community‑owned enterprises by pooling resources, delivering business‑management support, and deploying an AI‑enabled tracking system to convert micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) into scalable, investable ventures.
According to OKOBI’s planners, the partnership will benefit over 1,000 MSMEs. By 2028, it is projected to deliver a staggering economic impact — more than ₦600 billion — along with at least 20,000 new jobs, ₦8 billion in deployed capital, and ₦15 billion in incremental revenue gains.
The scheme marks a major shift from short‑term empowerment efforts to a long-term, community‑driven economic transformation model.
By enabling kindred groups to co‑own businesses and benefit from shared capital and expertise, OKOBI seeks to bridge the gap between micro‑finance and private equity, creating sustainable wealth and collective prosperity across Imo State.
With global partners now on board, OKOBI stands poised to become one of Africa’s most promising enterprise‑development models — offering hope for grassroots entrepreneurship, job creation, and inclusive growth at scale.
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