Multiple award winning Savings and Loans Company, Opportunity International Savings and Loans (Opportunity International) held an Annual Staff Retreat in Accra and Kumasi that brought together over 650 Management and staff of the Institution.

The staff and management came together to praise the almighty God for helping the institution to excel despite the challenging environment and market dynamics in the banking industry in 2018. This is an annual event held by the company to give thanks to God for the past year and also seek His face for the New Year.

Mr. Samuel Afful, the Chief Finance Officer who also doubles as the Deputy CEO stated that, the institution achieved 94% of the overall business plan for 2018 and disbursed loans of an all-time high of GHS239 million to its cherished clients in 2018 even in the critical period of liquidity challenges in the market.

Mr. Kwame Owusu-Boateng, the CEO of Opportunity International, thanked the Board, management and staff for their hard work and dedication that helped the institution to end the year 2018 on a good footing. ‘Winning seven awards in a year reinforces our position as a top savings and loans institution in Ghana, with a deep specialization in promoting quality financial services to our clients who are at the centre of our business’ he said.

The new Board Chairman, Mr. Katey Assem was introduced to all staff for the first time. In his remarks, he thanked the staff and management for their commitment and believe in the Opportunity mission in transforming lives. He encouraged all and sundry to put up their best to ensure that the flag of the institution is lifted high. He also said that the theme for the retreat ‘Move Forward’ was not chosen in isolation but to encourage staff not to be complacent with the current achievement but rather must be motivated for greater heights. He assured the staff that he will deliver excellence in his role as Chairman and will require similar levels of excellence from them.

Some of the staff who excelled in their various roles were rewarded at the events with various awards in recognition of their hard work and dedication.

Additionally, a three day Strategic and performance review meeting was also organised for all senior managers including branch managers in Kumasi as a prelude to the staff retreat in Kumasi.

The focus was to review and agree the strategies for the New Year and how to go about the execution of the strategic plan for 2019. A renowned Business Consultant, Mr. Dotun Osiyemi was invited to speak to them on governance and leadership. This training was to equip them to face the current challenges in the banking sector.

Opportunity International Savings and Loans Limited is a leading savings and loans institution in Ghana. Opportunity International is at the forefront of delivering transformational ?nancial services to help transform the lives of clients. It was licensed by the Bank of Ghana in June 2004. Opportunity International Savings and Loans Limited is a subsidiary of Opportunity International - A global institution dedicated to helping clients transform out of poverty.

The institution has 43 outlets in 7 Regions of Ghana. As of December 2018, the company had 527,891 clients of which 45,409 were loan clients. Loan portfolio was GHS 131 million and client deposit balances were GHS 162 million. With a total asset of GHS 246.17 million and shareholders net worth of GHS 42.39 million, Opportunity International is clearly one of the biggest savings and loans companies in Ghana with a track record of delivering formal financial services to its clients in a very sustainable way.