Google logo pays tribute to Esther Afua Ocloo, 'microlending' pioneer

Google is using its logo Tuesday to honor the birthday of one of the world's most important entrepreneurs.

April 18 marks the 98th birthday of Esther Afua Ocloo, a businesswoman from Ghana who helped pioneer microlending, which focuses on lending budding entrepreneurs smaller loans.

Ocloo had less than a dollar when she started a business selling marmalade. She traveled to England to study food processing, sharing skills with other women in Ghana, as well as insight on starting and managing a business.

In 1979, she helped found Women's World Banking, which offers small loans to low-income women.

"On what would have been her 98th birthday, today’s Doodle shows Esther empowering the women of Ghana with the tools to improve their lives and communities," reads an excerpt from Google's Doodle archive on Ocloo's legacy.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.