awarding ceremony of the MTN Bright Scholarships in Accra. Professor  Yankah said that he is touched by this aspect of the project by the MTN Foundation because it is an inclusive approach for women, persons with disabilities and needy but bright students which is in line with government's education agenda.

He said that traditionally, women do not want to express their needs publicly which may have accounted for the low participation by female applicants for the scholarship awards.  Out of the selected 100 beneficiaries, 18 were females. He urged MTN to find a way to get more women to apply in order to offer them the needed help.

The education sector, he said, has had a lot of  prioritization and has over the past five years received between 20 to 27 per cent of the national budget, representing 6 to 8 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.

He said that the event has come at an opportune time when government seeks private -public partnerships to improve education service delivery and support thousands of students. He added that notices have been sent out to public universities charging fees above acceptable levels to use the 2016/2017  approved fees. Those who have already paid fees above this amount will be reimbursed. Professor Yankah said that the free SHS program will offer the stepping stone to tertiary education which will give the ripple effect on national development.

Mr Selorm Adadevoh, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, assured Ghanaians of MTN's  commitment to empowering the youth because it leads to an investment in a better future for  Ghana. He advised the beneficiaries to be committed to their chosen educational paths.

He said that the MTN Foundation expects a better outcome of the awards and encouraged them to show leadership, integrity and a ‘can do’ spirit as they are now ambassadors of the MTN brand.

The Board Chairman for MTN Foundation, Professor Franklyn Manu in his speech said MTN Ghana believes in the need for formal education . He said educating people can help close the poverty gap in Ghana, improve livelihood and help accelerate the quest towards national development.
"The importance of education and its impact on national development cannot be over emphasised which is why MTN Foundation takes the opportunity
available to us to invest in more educational projects" he said.

Professor Manu said that their main objective is to offer opportunities for brilliant but needy students as well as those with physical challenges.

The selection process began in April 2018 after 1,500 applications were received out of which 205 were shortlisted and the final 100 selected. 10 percent of the beneficiaries are students with physical challenges. The scholarship scheme covers tuition, accommodation and a semester provision of GHC 500.00.

He urged more women to take advantage of the MTN Bright Scholarship in the next two years saying "we believe in the capabilities of women and we encourage them to show interest in subsequent requests".

Professor Manu said that they have also introduced the awards for teachers who are interested in futhering their education specifically in the areas of Science, Mathematics and English.

Mr Samuel Koranteng, Corporate Service Executive said that he expects the beneficiaries to take their education seriously and finish up their relevant courses so they can impact on society and help others as well.

He urged young ladies to apply and said that a monitoring and evaluation team has been put in place to ensure the beneficiaries do well and are comfortable.

The MTN Foundation has pledged to award a 100 beneficiaries each for the next two years and is also looking forward to commissioning other projects such as the New Juabeng SHS ICT library Project, the official commencement of the GIMPA Telecoms Library and the construction of  a six classroom bock for Nyhiaeso Basic School in the Ashanti Region before the end of the year 2018.

Also present at the ceremony were other Members of MTN foundation, Representatives of Vice Chancellors ;  Professor Dan Ofori from the University of Ghana, Professor Sylvester Gala the Dean of Students from University of Development Studies and Mr Elisha Oheneba Essumand, the NUGS president. Others included the panel of judges who were selected from various tertiary institutions in the country and MTN, friends and families of the awardees and the media.