While officially commissioning the Enugu office of Afrinvest West Africa Limited on Monday, the governor, represented by his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, emphasised the need to make businesses endure from one generation to another.
The opening ushers in 30 years of experience in investment banking, asset management, and securities trading to the state.
The governor stated that the Igbo must embrace structures that would ensure their businesses outlive the founders in order to grow and sustain the economy of the South East region.
“We, Igbo people, are known for strong personalities. Everyone wants to own an Ifeanyi Ossai Nigeria Limited. But we must evolve to build systems like Guinness or Nigerian Breweries that outlive their founders.
“Businesses cannot thrive where support services that drive investments do not exist. The kind of services Afrinvest offers, from capital mobilisation to business structuring, are the very backbone of a sustainable economy,” he said.
Mbah described Afrinvest’s arrival as “timely and transformational”, emphasising that the company’s range of services would strengthen Enugu’s investment ecosystem.
He urged Afrinvest to help local entrepreneurs move beyond personality-driven business models towards structured, multi-generational institutions.
Encouraging Afrinvest professionals to engage with the state’s numerous tertiary institutions to inspire students and young entrepreneurs towards building sustainable, knowledge-based enterprises, he added, “With the number of universities in Enugu, we should be leading a knowledge-based economy. I urge Afrinvest to visit these institutions and help shape the next generation of business leaders.”
Dr Ike Chioke, Group Managing Director of Afrinvest, said the firm had long considered expanding to Enugu but found the right environment under the Mbah administration.
“We had planned to come into Enugu three years ago during the administration of the former governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, but it did not materialise. When Mbah came on board and began transforming Enugu into a business-friendly environment, the urgency to open this office increased,” Chioke said.
He explained that Afrinvest would bring its broad experience in investment banking, asset management, securities trading, trusteeship, consulting, research, fintech, and microfinance to help businesses in Enugu grow sustainably.
Chioke noted that many successful Igbo-owned enterprises collapsed after the founders’ demise due to weak governance structures.
He said, “All too often, we see that Enugu has very successful entrepreneurs who build very big businesses and even go beyond Nigeria, but once the founder dies, the business collapses. Part of the cause is governance strategy, some of which is the expertise we bring.
“There are standardised ways of ensuring business continuity, raising capital, and hiring the right people. That wealth of expertise, which we’ve long provided to clients in other regions, is what we’re gladly bringing to Enugu,” he said.
The entrepreneur added that the firm’s expansion aligns with its ‘Aku ruo uno’ (think-home) philosophy of the Igbo and pointed out that Afrinvest already enjoys a strong relationship with the state through its sponsorship of Rangers International Football Club.
Adding that the decision to open the Enugu office was a board decision, he expressed confidence that it would benefit the people of Enugu.
“The essence is that our clients here will not just invest in the stock market or put their money in the bank; they will also understand what it takes to build a business for the long term and ensure continuity,” he said.
