Opportunity International marks anniversary

Opportunity International Savings and Loans (OISL) Ghana has celebrated its 10 years anniversary with a unique brand launch in Accra.

The Savings and Loans company is a Non-Bank Financial Institution that serves micro and small entrepreneurs with loans, deposits, and exclusive financial services.

Mr Francis Pelekamoyo, Board Chairman, OISL Ghana, expressed delight for the anniversary and said the company’s existence had made tremendous impact on the poor.

“We were inspired to take action against poverty with the belief that the poor needed an opportunity to work and be productive,” he said.

Mr Pelekamoyo said the company had a strong belief that by lending out money to the active poor in society, it could help them to start their own business and expand to make profit for themselves.

“In Ghana, OISL was born of the belief that formal transformational, financial institution was needed to make a lasting economic impact on the entrepreneurial poor in the country,” he added.

He said the Board, both past and present, had consistently provided the guidance needed to instill discipline and good corporate governance in the business.

“The seed planted 10 years ago has germinated and grown into such a huge tree of life, bearing good fruit enjoyed by both staff and clients,” he said.

Mr Kwamena Owusu-Boateng, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), OISL Ghana, highlighted the achievement of the company in the past 10 years saying it was the first institution to initiate and sponsor event wholly that brought together all savings and loans companies in Ghana, the first to introduce a Mobile Van or “Banking on Wheels” services in Ghana, and also the first to introduce the Biometric identification System for clients.

He said the company had also won several prestigious awards like the best Non-Bank Financial Institution of the year 2013 awarded by the CIMG, best Project Partner For Social Performance Management awarded by OikoCredit.

Ms Vicki Escara, Global CEO, OISL said”OISL grew from a hope and dream into one of the strongest financial institutions in the country. I am excited by the entrepreneurial spirit that has led to its success”.

According to her the company provided more than 79,000 business loans of which 73 percent were women, 366,000 clients with voluntary savings, 130,000 clients with credit life insurance, and also provided personal savings for farmers.