Obuasi Community Trust Fund awards scholarship to 40 needy but brilliant students

About 40 students from 4 districts in the Ashanti Region have been given a lifeline to support their education by the AngloGold Ashanti-Obuasi Trust Fund.

This brings the number to 160 students who have so far benefited from the Tertiary Education Grant Scheme of the Fund since the 2019/2020 academic year.

At a short ceremony to present the scholarship to the beneficiaries, Hon. Elijah Adansi-Bonah, a Director of AGA Obuasi Community Trust Fund said the selection process was rigorous and transparent with applicants required to demonstrate not only 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.

Hon Elijah Adansi-Bonah who is also the Chief Executive for the Obuasi Municipal Assembly said the primary objective of the fund is to empower the people of Obuasi and contribute to diversifying the economy of Obuasi by leveraging on education and human capital development.

Hon. Adansi-Bonah called for greater collaboration between AngloGold Ashanti and the people of Obuasi to help develop the area. He said the Fund can only thrive when AngloGold Ashanti has a congenial environment to operate.

Obuasi- Essen Educational Exchange Program

The Obuasi MCE pointed out that the City of Essen in the North Rhine Westphalia Region of the Federal Republic of Germany will soon sign a partnership agreement with the KNUST-Obuasi campus.

The agreement will see students from Universities in the Essen and KNUST-Obuasi campuses travelling to gain broader knowledge and experience in their fields of study in both countries, in an exchange program.

Out of the 40 beneficiaries who were awarded on the day, 21 were females, while 19 were males. 14 of the beneficiaries were selected from the Obuasi Municipality and 10 students from the Obuasi East District. Again, 8 of the beneficiaries were from the Amansie Central while the remaining 8 of them were from the Adansi North District. A total of GH 320,000.00 will be disbursed to cover beneficiaries under the scheme for the 2023 academic year.

Yaw Biritwum Opoku, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine who spoke on behalf of the Senior Manager, Community Relations-Africa said the Tertiary Education Grant of the Trust Fund has enabled many needy but brilliant students from the communities across Obuasi to begin their tertiary educational journey.

He said the scheme has greatly enhanced access to tertiary education and reduced school dropout rates from senior high school to tertiary level within AngloGold Ashanti's host communities in Obuasi.

Mr. Opoku said AngloGold Ashanti continues to demonstrate its commitment towards educational improvement and diversifying the economy of Obuasi through the role it played in the establishment of the KNUST-Obuasi campus.

He admonished beneficiaries to seize the opportunity that the grant has 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 the 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 program.