Opportunity International Joins Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative
Emerging Leaders Program to Provide Management Training for Young African Women in the Financial Services Sector
Oak Brook, Ill., (May 19, 2009) —Opportunity International today announced it is partnering with Goldman Sachs to develop the Emerging Leaders Program under the 10,000 Women Initiative. The program will help train hundreds of promising young African women for careers in management in financial institutions serving the poor in Africa.
The 10,000 Women Emerging Leaders Program will begin in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Mozambique. The program’s best and brightest graduates will assume positions of leadership at Opportunity International or alliance partner financial institutions.
“10,000 Women is a global network of partners all focused on tapping the incredible economic and social potential of business and management education for women,” said Dina Habib Powell, managing director and global head of corporate engagement, Goldman Sachs. “We are proud to be working with Opportunity International, which has an impressive track record of increasing access to capital in underserved markets.”
The 10,000 Women Emerging Leaders Program includes three training tracks. Selected female managers at Opportunity and its alliance partners will participate in an intensive three-week professional development program to improve their skills and increase their impact. In addition, recent graduates from 10 universities will be chosen for management development training, which includes an internship, four-week course and job placement as entry-level supervisors. Other candidates will receive initial training to become loan officers.
“Opportunity International is thrilled to be working with Goldman Sachs to provide career opportunities for the best and brightest women now working at financial institutions or studying at African universities,” said Kadita “A.T.” Tshibaka, president and CEO, Opportunity International. “By entering into management positions, participants in the 10,000 Women Emerging Leaders Program will not only have challenging and rewarding careers, they will be making a real difference for people living in poverty across Africa.”
The 10,000 Women Emerging Leaders Program has formed strategic partnerships with Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya, as host for the training program and the Microfinance Management Institute (MFMI) for assistance with curriculum development. Internships will begin in June 2009 and the first management training course will be held at Strathmore in January 2010.
About 10,000 Women
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative was launched March 5, 2008. It has partnered with more than 50 universities and organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and the United States to seek, create and develop programs to impact the quality and capacity of business education in developing regions around the world. For further information, please visit www.10000women.org.
About Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a bank holding company and a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. Goldman Sachs provides a wide range of services worldwide to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high net worth individuals. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and other major financial centers around the world.
About Opportunity International
Opportunity International provides access to savings, small business loans, insurance and training to over five million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world. Clients in over 20 countries use these financial services to start or expand a business, provide for their families, create jobs for their neighbors and build a safety net for the future. For more information, visit http://www.opportunity.org or join the conversation at http://facebook.com/opportunityintl and http://twitter.com/opportunityintl.
Joe Snodgrass
Goldman Sachs
(p) 212-902-5400
[email protected]