FirstBank has officially partnered with the Imo State Government to bolster the One Kindred One Business Initiative (OKOBI). This community-focused program aims to increase employment, improve financial access, and foster wealth through shared business ownership.
The bank views this collaboration as a way to fulfill its promise of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises while encouraging socio-economic growth throughout Nigeria. Created by Governor Hope Uzodimma, the OKOBI initiative leverages traditional communal values to organize residents into formal, registered businesses. By doing so, these groups become more stable and capable of securing financing to fight poverty.
Since its inception in 2023, the program has registered over 600 businesses involving roughly 20,000 participants, with a goal of generating 100,000 jobs by 2026. Olusegun Alebiosu, CEO of FirstBank Group, highlighted that peer accountability is essential for long-term growth and that the initiative turns social bonds into genuine economic assets. Furthermore, Professor Kenneth Amaeshi, the Chief Economic Adviser to the state, praised the model for successfully addressing unemployment and encouraged other corporations to support the effort to transition more citizens into business ownership.
