Opportunity International partners with Annan Capital Partners (ACP) to provide loans to female business owners. 

Opportunity International Savings and Loans Ltd (OISL) has entered into a strategic partnership with the Annan Capital Partners (ACP) to provide financial support to women-led businesses across Ghana.

This initiative will provide loans of up to GHS 500,000 to over 10,000 women, fostering economic empowerment, financial inclusion, and business growth. The turnaround time for loan approval and disbursement will be within one month. This agreement was signed in Accra on 27^th March 2025.

ACP is launching AGOO as a matchmaking platform designed to connect Investors with Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to create new opportunities for business growth and financial empowerment. OISL will be the first client on the platform, providing loans to female entrepreneurs on the AGOO platform as part of this initiative.

Recognizing the challenges that female entrepreneurs face in accessing capital, this partnership seeks to bridge the financial gap by offering tailored loan products, financial literacy training, and comprehensive business support services. The initiative is aligned with the broader goal of strengthening local economies by equipping women with the necessary resources to expand and sustain their businesses.

Loan Application Portal to Open Soon

As part of the rollout, the loan application portal will officially be launched on the AGOO platform in July 2025 serving as a gateway for eligible female entrepreneurs to access funding and other business development resources. This user-friendly digital platform will streamline the application process, making it easier for women to submit their requests, track their applications, and receive financial support without unnecessary delays.

The program will be executed in phases, starting with targeted outreach to create awareness among potential beneficiaries. Following this, loan disbursements will commence, coupled with structured mentorship programs designed to guide recipients in financial management, business strategy, and sustainable growth.

Addressing Financial Barriers for Women Entrepreneurs

Access to capital remains a significant challenge for women-led businesses in Ghana. Many female entrepreneurs struggle to secure loans due to stringent collateral requirements, lack of financial literacy, and limited access to formal banking services.

This partnership is designed to break down these barriers by:

• Offering financial literacy training to enhance knowledge of business financing and management.

• Connecting beneficiaries to business development experts who will offer mentorship and strategic guidance.

By improving access to funding and equipping women entrepreneurs with the right tools, this initiative aims to create a ripple effect, leading to job creation, increased business sustainability, and a stronger local economy.

A Commitment to Women’s Economic Empowerment

This collaboration between OISL and ACP underscores a shared commitment to fostering women’s economic independence. Beyond financial assistance, the program will also focus on building a supportive network for female entrepreneurs, encouraging peer learning, and promoting long-term business resilience.

The stakeholders in this partnership are optimistic that this initiative will inspire more financial institutions and organizations to invest in women-led businesses, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive financial ecosystem in Ghana.

How to Apply

Female entrepreneurs interested in accessing the loans are encouraged to prepare for the application process by ensuring they have the necessary business documentation and a clear plan for how the funds will be utilized. More details on eligibility criteria and application guidelines will be shared ahead of the portal’s launch.

About Annan Capital Partners

Annan Capital Partners (ACP) is an African-focused Independent, Boutique Investment & Advisory House. In addition to commodity trading and making own-balance sheet investments in our core-growth industries, we offer holistic advisory services on family office, investment banking, fundraising, impact investment and venture building.

Our wide range of clients include family offices, impact funds, entrepreneurs, SMEs, global corporations and governments. Over the past decade, we have been involved in bridging the gap between investment and investment opportunities in Africa and beyond.

About Opportunity International Savings and Loans

Opportunity International Savings and Loans Ltd is a leading savings and loans institution licensed by the Bank of Ghana in June 2004. The Institution operates across 10 out of the 16 regions of the country advancing financial inclusion and bringing clients at the base of the pyramid into the mainstream financial services using innovative range of products and services.

Since its inception, OISL has focused its key activities on the marginalized, the underbanked and unbanked and those who are excluded from mainstream formal financial services. OISL provides sound financial education and support to clients while promoting a savings culture by offering innovative deposit products. It assists micro, small and medium-sized businesses, which form the backbone of most developing economies, to thrive.

As of December 2024, the institution had a Loan Portfolio Balance of GHS 308.8 million and a Deposit Balance of GHS 418.3 million.

With a Total Asset value of GHS 603.7 million, Opportunity International Savings and Loans Ltd is one of the largest savings and loans companies in the country.

Since 2018, the institution has won 52 prestigious awards including the CIMG Savings and

Loans Company of the Year 2019 & 2020, inducted into the Ghana Business Awards Hall of Fame in 2022 and 2023 after winning the Savings and Loans Company Award of the Year awards consecutively for 2018, 2019 & 2020, the Best Sustainable MFI in Agricultural Finance & the Best Disability Product of the Year awards at the NBFI GHAMFIN awards in 2024 and the Savings and Loans Company of the year 2024 by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management, Ghana.

About AGOO

AGOO Africa is a crowdfunding and crowdlending platform for African early-stage startups and small traditional businesses. It allows owners of such businesses to make their project and their pitch accessible to a large number of investors, from young non-professional business angels to established international funds.

On the other hand, any investor can now have access to a curated database of small Ghanaian companies from various sectors, and invest in them seamlessly via our platform.

We strongly believe in the great economic potential of small businesses in Ghana and in West

Africa, and position our platform as the leading early-stage investment facilitator in the region.

“Our goal is to create sustainable opportunities for women to thrive in business. By providing access to capital and business development resources, we are empowering women to transform their communities.” -Ernest Matthewson, CEO of Annan Capital Partners

“Supporting women in business is not just an economic necessity but a social imperative. Through Agoo, an ACP initiative, we aim to uplift female entrepreneurs and drive economic progress.”-Roberta Annan, Chairman of Annan Capital Partners

“We are excited to collaborate with ACP to scale our impact and provide women with the resources they need to succeed,”-Kwame Owusu-Boateng, CEO of Opportunity International Savings and Loans Ltd.