OCCIMA moves to attract more international investors to Imo

Imo State may witness a surge of foreign investors and businesses as the 14th Council of Owerri Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OCCIMA) has said that it shall be strengthening the OCCIMA Enterprise Development Centre, as a hub for entrepreneurship development, innovation, business incubation, mentoring and capacity building.

Charles Okeke, an accomplished entrepreneur, business leader, administrator and community builder, chairman, and chief executive of Tshabron Group, who is the new president of OCCIMA, disclosed this during the 14th presidential investiture/inauguration of new council members in Owerri, Imo State.

He pledged to build upon the foundation the past presidents and councils had laid, saying that his regime will chart a new course for growth, relevance, and economic transformation.

While recognising the enormous challenges confronting businesses that require practical solutions, strategic partnerships, and courageous leadership, he said, “This 14th council is determined to move OCCIMA from merely identifying business challenges to facilitating practical and sustainable solutions.

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“Our vision is to transform OCCIMA into a solution-driven business development ecosystem that actively promotes enterprise growth, investment attraction, industrial expansion, and economic prosperity.”

He informed that the14th Council shall focus on strengthening the OCCIMA Enterprise Development Centre, as a hub for entrepreneurship development, innovation, business incubation, mentoring and capacity building.

Okeke stated that his regime would expand and modernise the Imo Trade Fair and related exhibitions as platforms for investment promotion, technology transfer, and market access.

The 14th Council, will according to him, also focus on promoting local and foreign investments by showcasing Imo State as a preferred destination for business.

This is as it will also facilitate access to finance and investment opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through strategic partnership with financial institutions and development agencies.

The OCCIMA boss hinted on plans to collaborate with Imo State Government and the organised private sector through “structured policy dialogue and economic advocacy” as well as expand relationships with the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and South East Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (SECCIMA).

Meanwhile, Anthony Amadi, a lawyer, and an administrator, the immediate past president of OCCIMA, disclosed that OCCIMA is ready to play its strategic role to issue attestation letters on behalf its members intending to attract foreign investors and businesses to Imo State.

“My administration has concluded plans for the registration of OCCIMA as a corporate entity, in keeping with the promise at the inception of my tenure. It has been a feat not attained since the inception of OCCIMA in 1976. The implication is that council members can soon begin to leverage on the new status to attract more international businesses to Imo State.

“We have been able to sustain the pride of OCCIMA as one of the prominent chambers East of the Niger and Nigeria. There will always be challenges, but working together with businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, captains of industry, and professionals in different works of life, OCCIMA has remained a chamber to be reckon with,” Amadi said.