The Obio/Akpor Business and Economic Forum, OBEF, has reaffirmed its dual mandate as an engine for economic prosperity and a veritable platform for good governance and grassroots participation, with a renewed commitment to fostering a conducive, business-friendly environment that unlocks opportunities and drives sustainable development in Obio/Akpor.
The Forum held its second quarterly meeting on Wednesday, October 9, 2026, in Port Harcourt, hosting a strategic convergence of multinationals, private business enterprises, business moguls, banks, industries, policymakers, theorists, traditional and religious leaders, and development partners.
In his address, Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr. Gift Worlu, declared that Obio/Akpor has come of age and must now translate its demographic and economic weight into tangible prosperity and accountable governance.
“Obio/Akpor is of age and it is time to prove itself to the world, defeating challenges and harnessing opportunities. We have the highest population and the largest concentration of companies, institutions and firms,” Worlu said.
Dr. Worlu stressed that democracy must not be reduced to the mere conduct of elections, but must be seen as a continuous, deliberate process of engagement, dialogue and collective responsibility.
“What we are trying to achieve here is to bring together policymakers, policy implementers, theorists, students, politicians, bankers, traditional rulers, religious leaders and development partners in one room to begin strategic conversations that can produce ideas capable of transforming our society and strengthening local governance,” he said.
“For me, this is what democracy is; when people can come together like this, identify challenges, identify opportunities, develop frameworks, develop consensus and be able to address the problems, and take advantage of the opportunities on a constant basis,” he added.
He explained that the vision behind the Quarterly Forum is to institutionalize a sustainable structure where government listens, businesses speak, and communities benefit, assuring participants of his administration’s commitment to sustaining the Forum as a permanent channel for participatory governance beyond any single administration.
On governance deliverables, the Chairman disclosed that the council has made firm and measurable interventions in areas that directly impact both quality of life and ease of doing business.
“Several interventions have been made on flooding. There has also been intervention into traffic management. Security measures have been kept updated too. There is also the move to eliminate hosting of burial ceremonies by the roadside,” he said, noting that orderliness, security and infrastructure are the bedrock of any serious investment climate.
The Forum also recapped the purpose of OBEF and outlined programmes to be executed in subsequent quarterly meetings, with emphasis on creating a structured ecosystem where policies are not handed down but co-created.
Speaking at the meeting, Professor Onuchukwu emphasized that no single actor can drive development in isolation, describing collaboration as the currency of modern governance and economic growth.
“No one stakeholder can function independently of the other. We must understand that development in Obio/Akpor can triple down to other LGAs. Hence everybody should make it a point of duty to tell people about OBEF and encourage business owners to partner with OBEF,” Onuchukwu said.
He noted that for government, OBEF serves as a valuable feedback mechanism for understanding the needs of the business community, while for communities, it promises increased investments, job creation and improved livelihoods, and for individuals, a platform for grievance resolution and undiluted communication.
A major highlight of the meeting was the interactive and panel discussion sessions where experts dissected critical issues bordering on local governance, business growth, youth empowerment, investment opportunities, entrepreneurship development, internally generated revenue, and sustainable economic planning. Participants raised probing questions on economic sustainability, public-private partnerships, youth inclusion in governance and strategies for long-term growth.
In his remarks, the Vice Chairman, Responsibility and Sustainable Development, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, RAECL, assured of alignment with the vision of OBEF and called for structural discipline in economic interventions.
“There is alignment. On agriculture, it must be structurally driven to avoid wastage because there have been times that opportunities and resources have been made available for youths who ended up wasting them away,” he said, urging the Forum to support the policies of the council in reshaping the economic narrative of the LGA.
The meeting ended on a resolute note, with stakeholders commending Dr. Worlu for institutionalizing a forward-thinking initiative that weds economic pragmatism with democratic ideals, prioritizing dialogue, innovation, shared prosperity and inclusive development at the grassroots.
