Owerri (Imo State, Nigeria): In the dusty courtyards of Imo’s rural communities, small businesses that once struggled to survive are now daring to dream bigger.
A new ₦600 billion enterprise development scheme, unveiled by US-based Calpe Labs, is promising to change the lives of local entrepreneurs who have long been starved of capital and support.
Fifty micro-businesses — from cassava processors to carpenters, tailors, and traders — have been chosen under the state’s One Kindred One Business Initiative (OKOBI).
For many, this is the first time their family-run ventures are being recognised as engines of growth rather than survival.
“We have always had the ambition, but never the means,” said one young agripreneur in Owerri. “Now, we feel seen.”
Managing Director of Calpe Labs, Mambu Sherman, explained that the scheme grew out of commitments made at the Imo Economic Summit in December 2025. Partnering with Africa Business Affairs (AfriBA), InnoPower Africa, and EvaTech Global, the initiative will bring advanced digital tools, innovative financing, and mentorship to strengthen grassroots enterprises.
EvaTech Global will deploy analytics to prepare entrepreneurs for investment, while InnoPower Africa will connect talent and institutions to drive inclusive growth.
Sherman stressed that the biggest obstacle for small businesses is not ambition but fragmented support systems. “This programme is about weaving those fragments into a lifeline,” he said.
The ripple effects are expected to be transformative: ₦600 billion in total economic activity, ₦250 billion in business revenue, and 20,000 new jobs. But beyond the figures, the scheme promises dignity — a chance for rural entrepreneurs to lift their families out of poverty and contribute to their communities.
At the orphanage-like workshops and family compounds where these businesses operate, hope is palpable. Mothers who once stitched clothes by candlelight now imagine scaling up with proper equipment.
Farmers who sold produce at a loss dream of processing and packaging for wider markets. For them, this initiative is not just about money; it is about rewriting the story of survival into one of prosperity.
Sherman expressed confidence that the targets are achievable, noting that lessons from the pilot phase will refine the model for expansion into other African markets.
For Imo’s grassroots entrepreneurs, the scheme is more than a policy — it is a promise that their hard work and resilience can finally meet opportunity.
