Esther Afua Ocloo

Esther Afua Ocloo (wɔwoo no Esther Afua Nkulenu; 18 Ayɛwohomumɔ 1919 – 8 Ɔpɛpɔn 2002) yɛ Ghanani aguadifoɔ ne ɔkwampaefoɔ wɔ microlending, nhyehyɛeɛ a wɔde bɔ bosea nketewa sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a wɔbɛkanyan nnwuma.

Na ɔyɛ wɔn a wɔhyehyɛɛ Wiase Mmea Sikakorabea wɔ 1976 mu no mu biako, na ɔne Michaela Walsh ne Ela Bhatt na ɛyɛɛ. Ocloo yɛɛ ɔhwɛfo guamtrani a odi kan. Ɔnyaa 1990 Afrika Akannifoɔ Nkonimdie ne anuonyam foforɔ pii wɔ adwuma a ɔyɛeɛ de gyinaa sikasɛm mu ahoɔden a ɔde maa mmaa ne mmusua ananmu no ho. Na ɔyɛ Biakoyɛ Wiase Nyinaa Ɔsom Adwuma kuw no muni.

 Mfitiase asetra ne nhomasua 
Wɔwoo Afua Nkulenu wɔ Volta Mantam mu wɔ Ghana (saa bere no na wɔfrɛ hɔ British Togoland). George Nkulenu a ɔyɛ ɔdansifo ne ne yere Georgina a ɔyɛ ɔnwemfo ne okuafo a wɔn baanu nyinaa yɛ Ewefo na ɛwoo no. Ɔkɔɔ Presbyterian mfitiase sukuu, na Afua kɔɔ anim kɔɔ Sukuu a wɔde mmofra kɔtra mu a wɔbom sua ade wɔ Peki Blengo. Esiane ohia nti, na otu kwan dapɛn biara fi fie kɔ sukuu, na na ɔfa nnuan dapɛn biara sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a ɔrensɛe sika pii. Bere a onyaa sika a wɔde boa (Scholarship) a ɔde bɛkɔ Achimota Sukuu no, ne maame nuabea bi nso maa no kar sika. Osuaa ade wɔ hɔ fi 1936 kosi 1941, na onyaa Cambridge Sukuu Adansedi Krataa.

Wɔ 1943 mu no, Nkulenu de sika fam akyɛde ketewaa bi a efi ne maame nuabea hɔ ne ahokokwaw a onyae wɔ Achimota dii dwuma na ofii ase tɔn marmalade wɔ Accra. Bere a osii gyinae sɛ ɔbɛkɔ so ayɛ adwuma foforo wɔ aduan ho adwumayɛ mu no, onyaa nhyehyeɛ apam fii Achimota ntoasoɔ sukuu hɔ sɛ ɔmfa akutu anonne a wɔde akutu a wodua wɔ ne sukuupɔn no mu ayɛ bɛma sukuu no. Afei ɔsan nso nyaa nhyehyeɛ apam foforo sɛ ɔde anonne bɛma Royal West African Frontier Forcefo. Esiane sɛ na onni nneɛma a n’ankasa de bedi asɛyɛde ahorow no ho dwuma nti, ɔbɔɔ bosea fii sikakorabea bi hɔ na ɔhyehyɛɛ Nkulenu Industries, adwumayɛbea a edi kan a wɔyɛ nnuan wɔhɔ wɔ Gold Coast.

Bere a ɔmaa n’adwuma no sii hɔ akyi no, Achimota College boaa no sɛ ɔnkɔsra England na onsua ade fi 1949 kosi 1951. Ɔno ne onipa a odi kan a ofi Afrika abusua mu a onyaa aduannoa ho adansedi krataa fii Good Housekeeping Institute a ɛwɔ London na ɔyɛɛ Aduan a Wɔkora So Adesua a ɛkɔ akyiri wɔ Long Ashton Research Station, Department of Horticulture, Bristol University. Ɔsan kɔɔ Ghana na ɔwareɛ hyeɛ n;abusua ase.

 Adwumayɛ mu dwumadi 
Ocloo yɛɛ adwuma de trɛw n’adwuma mu. Otutuu kwan kɔɔ England wɔ 1956 mu kɔyɛɛ aduannoa ho nyansahyɛ ahorow a wɔde bɛtɔn nneɛma a wɔde gu toa mu. Sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ na wadi adwen a ɛmfata wɔ Ghana wɔ nneɛma a wɔyɛ wɔ mpɔtam hɔ ho so no, ɔhyehyɛɛ adwinnan fekuw na ɔboa ma wɔyɛɛ nneɛma ho ɔyɛkyerɛ a edi kan faa "Made-in-Ghana" ho wɔ afe 1958 mu ho nhyehyɛe. Esiane sɛ Ɔmanpanyin Kwame Nkrumah hyɛɛ no nkuran nti, wɔpaw no sɛ Ɔmanpanyin a odi kan wɔ nea ɛbɛyɛɛ Ghana Nnwuma Fekuw no mu, na ɔsom fii afe 1959 kosi afe 1961. Wɔ afe 1964 mu no, Ocloo ne Ghanani bea a odi kan a wɔpaw no sɛ Ghana Ɔman Aduan ne Aduandi Bagua no Titenani Panyin. Wɔ 1960 mfe no mfinimfini no ɔtrɛw ne dwumadi mu kɔɔ ntama yɛ adwuma mu.

Efi 1970 mfeɛ no mu no, Ocloo yɛɛ adwuma wɔ ɔman ne amanaman ntam wɔ sikasɛm mu ahoɔden a wɔde maa mmaa no mu. Wɔpaw no sɛ ɔfotufoɔ wɔ Mmea ne Nkɔsoɔ Badwa no mu firi afe 1976 kɔsi afe 1986, ɔyɛ Ghana ɔman Sikasɛm ho Afotuo Boayikuo no muni firi afe 1978 kɔsi afe 1979, na ɔyɛɛ Ɔman Bagua no muni wɔ Ghana Aman a Ɛtɔ so Mmiɛnsa mu firi afe 1979 kɔsi afe 1981. Na ɔyɛ Wiase Nyinaa Mmea Nhyiam a Edi Kan a wɔyɛe wɔ Mexico wɔ 1975 mu no fotufo.

Ɛno akyi no, ɔhyɛɛ bosea a wobetumi de ama mmea ho nkuran, bosea nketewa a wonim no sɛ micro-credit, na akanyan wɔn wɔ tumi a wɔde bɛhyehyɛ nnwuma mu. Wohui sɛ bosea a ɛte saa a wɔde ma mmea no hyɛ tumi a wobetumi de ahwɛ wɔn mma wɔ sikasɛm mu na wɔanya nkɔso wɔ wɔn mmusua mu no mu den. Ocloo ka wɔn a wɔhyehyɛɛ no ho na na ɔyɛ Wiase Mmea Sikakorabea Akwankyerɛ Kuw no guamtrani a odi kan fi 1979 kosi 1985.

 Nyamesom dwumadi ahorow 
Na Ocloo ka wɔn a wɔyɛɛ nyamesom akuw te sɛ Evangelical Presbyterian (EP), Asɔre a ɛwɔ Madina (Accra kurotia) ne Unity Group of Practical Christianity (Ghana) a ɛne Unity Worldwide Ministries wɔ abusuabɔ no ho. Ɔboaa nso ma wɔhyehyɛɛ mmea kuw bi a wɔfrɛ no Bible Adesuakuw, wɔ EP Asɔre no mu, a na wɔn botae ne sɛ wobesua Bible ne ofie sohwɛ. Ɔsomm wɔ EP Asɔre no bagua boayikuw no mu mfe 12.

 Abusua 
Esther waree Stephen Ocloo na wɔboom woo mma baanan: ɔbabea Vincentia Canacoo, ne mmabarima baasa, Vincent Malm, Christian Biassey ne Steven Ocloo Jnr.

 Owuo 
Ocloo wui wɔ Accra, Ghana bere a onyaa ahurututu mu yare wɔ February 2002 mu no. Ɔyɛɛ no ɔman ayi wɔ Accra, na wosiee no wɔ ne kurom Peki Dzake.

 Beaɛ a menyaa mmoa fii 

Nkyekyεmu:Ghanafo