In a significant move to advance inclusive education, the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has awarded scholarships to 160 students from its host communities, including five persons with disabilities (PWDs), under its 2024/2025 Scholarship Programme.
The awards ceremony, held in Tarkwa, celebrated beneficiaries enrolled in institutions such as the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), University of Ghana (UG), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and University of Cape Coast (UCC). Each recipient will receive GHS 10,000 annually to cover tuition, accommodation, and other academic needs.
This brings the total number of scholarship recipients since the programme’s inception to over 2,736.
Executive Secretary of the Foundation, Abdel Razak Yakubu, emphasized this year’s focus on disability inclusion:
“Gold Fields has been supporting visually and hearing-impaired students over the past eight years and has now expanded that support. This year, we’ve added five more students with disabilities who qualified through merit,” he said.
Disability inclusion advocate Michael Owusu Asare urged the new beneficiaries to take full advantage of the opportunity:
“This scholarship can change your life — don’t take it for granted. People are watching, and your actions can determine future support.”
Vice Chancellor of UMaT, Prof. Richard Kwasi Amankwah, underscored the transformative power of scholarships, especially for brilliant but financially constrained students:
“Scholarships like these make it possible for students to stay in school and succeed. You need to aim high and be positive ambassadors,” he advised.
Representing the Minister for Education, Prof. George Oduro praised Gold Fields’ contribution and highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in addressing educational challenges:
“The awards ease the financial pressure on parents and guardians while enabling beneficiaries to pursue their academic dreams and gain critical skills to contribute meaningfully to society.”
Prof. Oduro also noted that government has allocated GHS 7 million to support persons with disabilities in tertiary education, commending Gold Fields for its inclusive efforts and urging other corporate bodies to do the same.
Since its establishment in 2002, the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has invested over US$105 million in community development initiatives, spanning education, healthcare, infrastructure, water and sanitation, agriculture, and enterprise development.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Hajia Fati Karim
