Subscribe via RSS
Subscribe via EmailBlog Archives
What We’re Reading: Council on Foreign Relations, “Five Development Innovations to Watch in 2013″
MicroEnsure, the microinsurance subsidiary founded by Opportunity International, was recently recognized by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) as a “development innovation to watch in 2013.” In a blog post last month, CFR reported that MicroEnsure has “sign[ed] up a million [life insurance] customers [in Ghana] over 14 months, 85% of them new to insurance” by linking Read more…
Tagged accra, Africa, Cell Phones, chronic poverty, Clients, Council on Foreign Relations, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Ghana, Health insurance, life insurance, Microensure, Microinsurance, Opportunity International, Poverty, Risks, Rwanda, Tanzania, Technology, Tigo, Weather-index crop insurance
Opportunity Ghana Innovates to Reach More Marginalized Clients
Opportunity Ghana is using innovative technology to provide financial services to a greater number of impoverished people in remote and rural areas of the country, many of whom have never before had access to formal banking. Through a “hub-and-spoke” method, Opportunity International uses low-cost delivery methods, including kiosk satellite branches, point-of-sale (POS) devices, cell phone Read more…
Tagged accra, Africa, Banking, Cell phone banking, Clients, Community, Ending Poverty, Financial Access, Financial services, Ghana, Kumasi, Loan Officer, Loan repayment, Loans, Microfinance, mobile banking vehicle, OISL, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, POS devices, Technology
A Breeze of Change in Ghana
I left Opportunity Ghana for the U.S. in 2007, after almost four years serving the local staff and clients–first, as a loan officer, bringing Opportunity to disadvantaged women, men and children; then as a loan supervisor, providing leadership to other loan officers; and then as a Relationship Manager with a great team of loan officers Read more…
Tagged accra, Africa, Agricultural finance, Ashaiman, Branch staff, CEO, Community, Cosmus Kowuoche, Education finance, Financial services, Ghana, Loan Officer, local staff, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, Poverty, Schools, Transformation, Vicki Escarra
Mourning the Sudden Death of Ghana’s President, John Atta Mills
Ghanaian president John Atta Mills died unexpectedly of a sudden illness on Tuesday at the age of 68. As the Ghanaian people mourn the death of the law professor-turned-leader who they affectionately called “The Prof,” global media is taking note of the smooth transition of the country during this difficult time. The BBC and other news Read more…
Tagged accra, Africa, Al Jazeera, BBC, Bloomberg, CEO, Cosmus Kowuoche, democracy, elections, Ghana, God, in the news, Kenya, Leaders, Microfinance, mourning, news, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, president, Reuters, riots, vice president, what we're reading
Illinois Congressman Peter Roskam Visits Opportunity’s Microfinance Operations in Ghana
Over the years, Opportunity International has had the honor of hosting a variety of congressional delegations and international dignitaries. Congressman Peter Roskam, a Wheaton, Ill. Republican and House Chief Deputy Whip, traveling with Democratic Congressman Bobby Rush, spent the early part of this week in Ghana, leading a bipartisan fact-finding mission focused on trade, energy and Read more…
Tagged 10000 women initiative, 10k Women, accra, Africa, Agricultural finance, Bank, Banking on Women, Bill Morgenstern, Congress, Education, Emerging Leaders, emerging leaders program, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Ghana, Global Poverty, Goldman Sachs, IDP Foundation, IDP Foundation Rising Schools Program, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Millennium Village, Millennium Villages Project, Oak Brook, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, Poverty, The Daily Herald, what we're reading
Ayekoo! Millennium Villages & Opportunity Expand Microfinance in Rural Ghana
Congratulations (Ayekoo) to the clients of Opportunity Ghana. A Millennium Villages Project (MVP) satellite branch has now opened in the small rural community of Datano. The Datano satellite branch is a small outlet located in Ghana’s western region, in the Amansie West District of Ashanti, west of Accra. The branch is staffed by three employees including Read more…
Tagged accra, Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Clients, Community, Earth Institute, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Ghana, Loan Officer, Loans, MDG, MDG's, MFI, Microfinance, Millennium Development Goals, Millennium Promise, Millennium Village, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, Poverty, Rural Outreach, Satellite bank branch, Savings, Savings account, Training, Trust Groups, UN Development Programme, Un millennium development goals, UN Millennium Project, United Nations
My Call to Serve Opportunity International
This blog post was written by Opportunity Marketing Intern Emily Reavis about her fall 2010 trip to see the work of Opportunity Ghana. When our plane took off from Chicago O’Hare, it finally hit me. “Wow, I’m actually on my way to Africa right now.” I knew this trip would be everything I was told it Read more…
Tagged accra, Africa, Chicago, Clients, Community, Education, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Ghana, Insight Trip, MFI, Microfinance, Trust Groups, YAO, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
