Esther Afua Ocloo

Esther Afua Ocloo (April 18, 1919 - February 8, 2002 ) was a Ghanaian entrepreneur and pioneer of microlending. [Douglas Martin, "Esther Ocloo, 83, African Leader and Microlending Pioneer, Dies", obituary in New York Times March 10, 2002 accessed at Africa Prize website [http://africaprize.org/90/esther.htm] April 12, 2007] [ [http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=21595 "Esther Ocloo Passes Away", February 8, 2002, GhanaWeb] ]

She was one of the founders of Women's World Banking in 1976, with Michaela Walsh and Ela Bhatt, and served as its first chair of trustees. She received the 1990 Africa Prize for Leadership.

Education

Esther Ocloo had her secondary education at the Achimota School between 1936 and 1941 where she obtained the Cambridge School Certificate. She obtained a diploma from the Good House-Keeping Institute of Cookery, London, England. She also did a Food Preservation Course at Long Ashton Research Station, Department of Horticulture, Bristol University, Bristol, England between 1949 and 1951.

Family

Esther is married to Stephen and they have four children, Vincentia Canacco her daughter, and her three sons Vincent Malm, Christian Biassey and Stephen Junior.

Death

Esther died in Accra, Ghana after she developed pneumonia in 2002.

Honours

# Honored by Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana for meritorious Service to Church –1982.
# Honored by all women association of Ghana (AWAG) for meritous service (1985).
# Recognized and certified by the editorials board of Biographical publication, England, as one of the Foremost Women of the twentieth Century.
# Co-winner of the African leadership prize for sustainable end of hunger by the hunger project, New York- 1990.
# Honored by International Federation of Business and Professional Women –1991
# National Arts and Culture Award (By Ghana National Commission On Culture 1992).
# Laureate of the Gottlieb Duttweiller Prize, Switzerland- 1993.
# Hounded by Junior Achievement (Global leadership Award, 1995)
# Honored by First Global Women Investment Exhibition by Ghana Association of Women entrepreneurs (GAWE)-July 1996.
# Honored by Peki Union for tremendous contributio0n and dedication to the welfare of her hometown Peki, Ghana.
# Honored by Women World Banking Ghana in May 1995.
# Honored by Women World Banking International in Beijing September1995. Hounered 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.

Notes

External links and sources

* [http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/people/pop-up.php?ID=117 Profile, GhanaWeb]
* [http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/people/dsp_image.php?id=40353253 Picture of Esther Ocloo]