Louisiana credit unions have added a third international partnership to their ranks, as Jefferson Financial Credit Union of Metairie, La., and Ghana's GESRO Co-operative Credit Union signed an agreement of mutual support in late June.

Kusi Boachie, GESRO CEO, traveled to New Orleans during that time, spending a week at the $214 million Jefferson Financial to learn about the credit union's operations and discuss areas of cooperation for the partnership. Boachie took special interest in credit and risk management, as well as marketing and information technology, according to a WOCCU release.

The two credit unions held a partnership planning session with WOCCU to map out activities and determine the partnership's focus. High on the list of preferred achievements was helping GESRO streamline its loan and collections process and create a marketing strategy to increase awareness about its products and services. This assistance will be accomplished through on-site training in Louisiana and Ghana, as well as peer-to-peer communication among the credit unions' staff members.