Esther Afua Ocloo

**Esther Afua Ocloo** (dem born am as **Esther Afua Nkulenu**; 18 April 1919 - 8 February 2002) be businesswoman wey be pioneer for microlending, na dat business wey dey give small small loans to make person business grow.

She be one of de people wey start Women's World Banking for 1976, togeda plus Michaela Walsh den Ela Bhatt. Ocloo be de first person make she chair de trustees for de organization. She win de 1990 African Prize for Leadership den plenty oda awards secof ein work make she help women den families for money mata. She sanso be member of Unity Worldwide Ministries.

## Ein early life den education
Dem born Esther Afua Nkulenu for Volta Region for Ghana (dat time dem dey call am British Togoland). Na ein poppie, Goerge Nkulenu, be blacksmith, den ein mommie, Georgina, be potter den farmer. Both of dem be Ewe people. Ein grandmommie send am go Presbyterian Primary School, wey she later she go coeducational boarding school for Peki Blengo. Secof ein family no get money, she dey travel from house to school every week, carry food wey she go cook einself so she no go spend extra money. As she win scholarship go Achimota School, ein aunty give am money for transport. She mow der from 1936 to 1941, wey she pass ein Cambridge School Certificate for dat year.

For 1943, Nkulenu use small money wey ein aunty give am den de skills wey she learn for Achimota, start dey sell marmalade for Accra. She decide say she go do more work for food business, so she get contract from Achimota make she supply de school plus orange juice wey she make from oranges wey grow for de school campus. Later, she win anoda contract to give Royal West African Frontier Force juice. But secof she no get enough resources to do all de work by einself, she collect loan from bank wey she start Nkulenu Industries, de first food processing factory for Gold Coast.

After na she set ein business well, Achimota College sponsor am to go England for 1949 to 1951 to visit den mow. She be de first African person wey get cooking diploma from de Good Housekeeping Institute for London. She sana be de first to do de post-graduate Food Preservation Course for Long Ashton Research Station, Department of Horticulture, Bristol University.

## Business activity
Ocloo work hard make she make ein business grow big. For 1956, she travel go England to find better ways to can food for commercial use. Secof sam Ghanaians no dey like local products, she form one association for manufacturers den help organize de first "Made-in-Ghana" goods exhibition for 1958. Presido Kwame Nkrumah encourage am, wey she cam turn de first President of de Federation of Ghana Industries from 1959 to 1961. For 1964, Ocloo cam turn de first Ghanaian woman wey dem appoint as Executive Chairman of de National Food and Nutrition Board of Ghana. For mid 1960s, she even enter tie and dye textile business to do more things.

From de 1970s forwards, na Ocloo work for Ghana den outsyd make she help women get money power. Dem appoint am as adviser for de Council of Women and Development from 1976 to 1986. She sanso be member of Ghana National Economic Advisory Committee from 1976 to 1979, den member of de Council of State for de Third Republic of Ghana from 1979 to 1981. She even be adviser for de First World Conference on Women wey happen for Mexico for 1975.

After dat, na she promote make women fit get small-small loans wey dem dey bell am micro-credit, to help dem start dema own businesses. Dem find out say wen women get dis kind loans, e dey help dem take care of dema kiddies well den make dema families grow better. Ocloo be one of de people wey start Women's World Banking, wey she be de first chairmo of dema Board of Directors from 1979 to 1985.

## Religious activities
Ocloo be one of de people wey start sam religious groups like de Evangelical Presbyterian (E.P) Church for Madina (one area for Accra) den de Unity Group of Practical Christianity (Ghana) wey dey link plus Unity Worldwide Ministries. She sanso help form one women group wey dem bell Bible Class for de E.P. Church, to mow Bible den learn how to manage house well. She serve for de synod committee of de E.P. Church for 12 years.

## Family
She marry Stephen Ocloo, wey dem born four kiddies togeda: one girl wey be Vincentia Canacoo, den three boys wey be Vincent Malm, Christian Biassey, den Steven Ocloo Jr.

## Death
Ocloo die for Accra, Ghana, for February 2002. Na she be 82 years, wey pneumonia kill am. Dem give am state funeral for Accra, wey dem bury am for ein hometown, Peki Dzake.

## See also

* Patience Akyianu

## Honours

* Dem honour am by Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana for meritorious Service to Church –1982.
* Dem honour am by All Women Association of Ghana (AWAG) for meritous service (1985).
* Dem recognize den certify by de editorials board of *Biographical* publication, England, as one of de Foremost Women of the Twentieth Century.
* As co-winner plus Olusegun Obasanjo of de African leadership prize for sustainable end of hunger by de Hunger Project, New York, 1990, na she be de first African woman make dem award am dis prize.
* Dem honour am by International Federation of Business and Professional Women –1991
* National Arts and Culture Award (by Ghana National Commission On Culture, 1992).
* De first woman laureate of de Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize, Switzerland, 1993.
* Dem honour am by Junior Achievement (Global Leadership Award, 1995)
* Dem honour am at *First Global Women Investment Exhibition*, by Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs (GAWE)–July 1996.
* Dem honour am by Peki Union for contribution and dedication to the welfare of her hometown Peki, Ghana.
* Dem honour am by Women World Banking Ghana in May 1995.
* Dem honour am by Women World Banking International in Beijing, September 1995. Honoured by Beijing Women of Rochester, New York ASA as one of '100 Heroines for Cause of Women in the 20th Century,' October 1998.
* Ghana’s Millennium Excellence Awards for Women and Gender Balance Development- 1999.
* Dem honour am plus a Google Doodle on 18 April 2017.

## References


## Works cited

* Akyeampong, Emmanuel Kwaku; Gates, Henry Louis, eds. (2012). *Dictionary of African Biography*. Vol. 4. Oxford University Press USA. ISBN 9780195382075.

## External links

* Profile at GhanaWeb.