Testimonial: From Engineering and Medicine to Fish Farming

MEET THE FAMILY OF FISH FARMERS

He is an engineer by profession and works with the best engineering and construction firm in the country while the wife is a medical doctor who works with the Federal Medical Centre Calabar. Both salary earners. The Okories didn’t see any need to undertake entrepreneurship, until he encountered the SSEDC and had a mindset shift. Mr. Charles Okorie walked into SS EDC briefly in February, 2015 out of curiosity to know what goes on in the imposing edifice that houses the Centre’s activities. But 30 minutes after, he registered for the entrepreneurship program and resumed class immediately. Being someone who believes in self-development and that no knowledge is a waste, he enrolled to expand his knowledge in an albeit foreign area, especially since he was on leave. During the idea generation class, he noticed a trend and immense opportunity inherent in farming and decided to go into fish farming. After making up his mind to go into farming, next thing he did was going for internship in a fish farm where he studied the business closely and observed all the risks and potential associated with the business. Putting knowledge to practice, he successful invested in and managed about 1000 fishes alone. This he did for 4 months before finally establishing his own fish farm which can now boast of over 5000 fishes. Mr Okorie passion and innovation made him set-up a sick bay where sick fishes are monitored between 24-48 hours. He supported in the farm by his wife – a medical doctor and her Mum who see the fishes as her own babies. A brief discussion with the wife and her mother indicated huge love and passion which is seen in the way they take care of the fishes.

For the Okories, business cannot be any better though there are still lots of challenges to surmount, the upside far outweighs the downside. His long term plan is to package branded fish for export as there is huge demand for that. He intends to resign from his high paying job to concentrates fully on the farm business.