………Enrol ten, IMSHIA pays for one!!!
In a strategic drive toward economic resilience and financial sustainability for small businesses in communities, the Imo State Health Insurance Agency (IMSHIA) and the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor have brokered a partnership aimed at strengthening the entrepreneurial OKOBI Business Model.
This landmark development followed a meeting between the Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor of Imo State, Prof. Kenneth Amaeshi, and the Executive Secretary of IMSHIA, Dr. Uchenna Ewelike, on Monday, April 28, 2025, at the agency’s state office in Owerri.
Speaking during the high-level engagement, Prof. Amaeshi noted that the partnership is designed to provide financial risk protection for small business owners, thereby safeguarding the sustainability of their businesses. He explained that the OKOBI Business Model was created to encourage community-owned businesses, democratizing business ownership across Imo State and promoting collective economic action through cooperative societies.
Highlighting the model’s impact, Prof. Amaeshi disclosed that OKOBI has created about 600 businesses since its inception, rapidly laying the groundwork for a thriving private sector capable of generating jobs, boosting household incomes, and spurring overall economic growth in the state. The forward-thinking Chief Economic Adviser, however, expressed concern about the financial collapse of businesses due to health-related emergencies and called on IMSHIA to implement an incentivized health insurance system tailored for small business owners under the Okobi platform.
In his remarks, Dr. Uchenna Ewelike emphasized that the synergy between IMSHIA’s risk protection mechanism and OKOBI’s business empowerment strategy will serve as a blueprint for sustainable development in Imo State, addressing two critical pillars of economic security viz-a-viz health and livelihood. Dr. Ewelike described the partnership as a homegrown solution to the intertwined challenges of health poverty, unemployment, and financial instability.
In a further commitment to advancing financial sustainability, Dr. Ewelike announced a special incentive: *for every ten OKOBI business owners who subscribe to the ImoCare health insurance package, one will be enrolled free of charge*.
Dr Ewelike stated that such complementary effort is in line with the vision of Imo State Governor Distinguished Senator (Dr) Hope Uzodimma and the goal of the Imo State Health Insurance Agency to guarantee the health of Imolites that will sustain a productive society. With the IMSHIA and OKOBI partnership, Imo State is boldly charting a new course toward financial self-reliance, prosperity, and inclusive economic growth.
