By Yussif Ibrahim
Obuasi (Ash), Oct. 30, GNA – Forty (40) students from four districts in the Ashanti Region have received scholarship from AngloGold – Obuasi Community Trust Fund.
The beneficiaries including 21 females and 19 males drawn from Obuasi Municipal, Obuasi East, Amansie Central and Adansi North, received a total of GHS320,000.00 from the Fund.
This brings to 160 the number of students who have so far benefited from the Tertiary Education Grant Scheme of the Fund since the 2019/2020 academic year.
Mr. Elijah Adansi-Bonah, a Director of the Fund, at a short ceremony to present the scholarship to the beneficiaries, said the selection process did not only focus on applicants who demonstrated academic promise, but also a strong commitment to their community and a desire to learn.
He said the 40 beneficiary students stood out from the rest, showcasing exceptional dedication and potential to succeed academically even from a poor background.
Mr. Adansi-Bonah, who is also the Chief Executive for the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, said the primary objective of the fund was to empower the people of Obuasi and contribute to diversifying the economy of Obuasi leveraging on education and human capital development.
He called for greater collaboration between AngloGold Ashanti and the people of Obuasi to help develop the area, pointing out that the Fund could only thrive when AngloGold Ashanti had a congenial environment to operate.
The Obuasi MCE disclosed that the City of Essen in the North Rhine Westphalia Region of the Federal Republic of Germany, would soon sign a partnership agreement with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST-Obuasi campus).
The agreement would see students from Universities in Essen and KNUST-Obuasi travelling to gain broader knowledge and experience in their fields of study in both countries on an exchange programme.
Mr. Yaw Biritwum Opoku, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine, who spoke on behalf of AngloGold Ashanti, said the Tertiary Education Grant of the Trust Fund had enabled many needy but brilliant students from communities across Obuasi to begin their tertiary educational journey.
He said the scheme had greatly enhanced access to tertiary education, and reduced school dropout rates from senior high school to tertiary level within AngloGold Ashanti’s host communities.
Mr. Opoku admonished beneficiaries to seize the opportunity that the grant had offered them to become part of a legacy of excellence, determination and positive change.
Nana Barimansu Antwi Kwanin II, Fomena Benkumhene, representing Adansihene commended AngloGold Ashanti- Obuasi Trust Fund for empowering the youth of Obuasi through the Education Grant Scheme.
He urged management of the Fund to institute a mechanism to monitor the academic progress of beneficiaries and their conduct on campus to ensure the sustainability of the scholarship programme.
GNA