The Goldfields Ghana Foundation has awarded scholarships to 160 tertiary students from its host communities, including five persons with disabilities, aimed at promoting inclusive and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education.
The colourful award ceremony brought together representatives from academic institutions, the Ministry of Education, community leaders, and other stakeholders, reinforcing the foundation’s commitment to inclusive education and the development of human capital.
This year’s scholarship program reflects significant growth, not only in the number of beneficiaries but also in the overall value and scope of support.
Executive Secretary of the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, Mr. Abdel-Razak Yakubu announced that the scholarship value has been increased from GHS8,000 to GHS9,000 per academic year for each student. Additionally, a GHS1,000 stipend has been introduced to help cover other campus-related expenses.
He emphasized that all beneficiaries, including the five persons with disabilities, went through the same rigorous selection process and earned their place on merit.
He said “this year, 160 students have received scholarships, including five persons with disabilities. These individuals competed fairly with others and earned their place purely on merit.”
He added that over the year’s, the foundation has supported students at the basic level, including those at the School for the Blind and the Secondary School for the Deaf. He expressed the foundation’s pride in highlighting inclusion at the tertiary level as well.
Speaking at the same event, the Regional Community Relations Manager of Gold Fields Ghana, Robert Siaw, gave a detailed breakdown of the beneficiary statistics.
He revealed that 52 percent of this year’s scholarship recipients are female, while 48 percent are male. Additionally, 50 percent of the students are pursuing engineering programs, 30 percent are enrolled in other science-related fields such as information technology, environmental sciences, nursing, midwifery, medicine, and pharmacy, and the remaining 20 percent are in the humanities and business-related courses.
He further revealed that of the 82 female scholars, 64 are pursuing STEM-related disciplines, a reflection of the foundation’s deliberate push toward bridging the gender gap in science and technology.
Robert Siaw highlighted the foundation’s investment of approximately 50 million dollars in education and training initiatives over the years. These initiatives include graduate training, post-community apprenticeship training, welding and fabrication, heavy-duty equipment operation, precision welding, and domestic and industrial electrical training.
He also mentioned that the foundation, in partnership with the Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE), is implementing a literacy project in 37 public schools within the Tarkwa-Nsuaem mining communities.
Robert Siaw added that the foundation’s educational programs are aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal Four, which focuses on inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
He noted that the foundation doesn’t only provide scholarships but actively monitors the academic and personal progress of its beneficiaries by visiting them in their institutions.
Some of the institutions where the beneficiaries are enrolled include Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), and Takoradi Technical University (TTT).
One of the scholarship recipients, Robert Slambon, a Mechanical Engineering student at KNUST, shared his journey at the tertiary said it wasn’t easy at the beginning leaving his parents stressed when he got admission.
“Even after gaining admission, funding his education was a struggle. So when I heard about the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation scholarship, I didn’t hesitate to apply and thankfully, I got it,” he told Nana Fynn.
He said the scholarship is going to make a huge difference in his academic journey, especially reducing the financial burden and help him focus on his studies.
Mr. Slambon believes this support will go a long way to complementing his success story to enable him to give back to his community one day.
