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The Community Trust Fund of AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) Obuasi Mine has offered various educational grants to 40 brilliant needy tertiary students within its catchment areas.
The grant is in line with the company's delineate plans to build the capacities of locals to compete favourably for jobs within the area.
The educational support was the fourth in the series of assisting indigenous youth, which was initiated in 2019.
This year’s cohort of 40 beneficiaries was made up of 19 males and 21 females.
A total of GH¢320,000 will be disbursed to cover beneficiaries under the scheme for the 2023 academic year.
Per an agreement with the communities, $2 per ounce of gold produced is set aside for the community development and enhancement.
The Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, Elijah Adansi Bonah, who presented the bursary to the students, said the selection process of the beneficiaries was rigorous and transparent.
Applicants were required to demonstrate not only academic prowess, but also a strong commitment to their community and a desire to learn.
He said the primary objective of the fund was to empower the people of Obuasi and contribute to diversifying the economy of the area leveraging education.
Mr Adansi-Bonah 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, for knowledge sharing.
The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of AGA, Yaw Biritwum Opoku, said the Tertiary Education Grant of the Trust Fund of the company, had enabled many needy brilliant students from the communities across Obuasi to realise their academic dreams.
"The scheme has greatly enhanced access to tertiary education, and reduced school dropout rates from senior high school to tertiary level within AGA’s host communities at Obuasi," he said.
Mr Opoku said AngloGold Ashanti would continue to demonstrate its commitment towards educational improvement and admonished beneficiaries to make use of the opportunity to become part of a legacy of excellence, determination and positive changers.
The Fomena Benkumhene, Nana Barimansu Antwi Kwanin II, 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.
