Savannah News Online Reporting Only What Matters Most
Related Articles
Tamale, Ghana – Robert Kuzoe, Executive Secretary of MTN Ghana Foundation, has urged various tertiary students across the country who are benefitting from the company’s scholarship programme to “make good use of it”.
According to Mr. Kuzoe, the opportunity being given to Ghanaian university students was supposed to prepare them well to come out ready to address challenges confronting Ghana and other nations of the world.
“They (students) should make good use of the opportunity that is being offered to them and study well to become well-rounded individuals ready to deal with challenges of this country and the world”.
Mr. Kuzoe said this last Thursday when he led a team of resource persons to meet with fifty (50) MTN scholarship beneficiaries at the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The meeting was organized by the MTN Ghana Foundation to enable resource persons talk to the students about other areas of interest that could be relevant to their holistic development and career advancement after school.
The 50 beneficiary students are studying various science, technology, engineering and mathematics related programmes at the UDS.
The award of scholarship to only STEM and ICT students according to Mr. Kuzoe was in line with the vision of MTN Ghana as an engineering and technology company.
“As a brand we try not to lose focus because you know MTN Ghana is an engineering company and as such we’re trying to develop young people who are passionate about such disciplines. We want to prepare them for tomorrow so that by the time they walkout of the doors of this university they are fully equipped and prepared to work in the digital space.”
Apart from paying the fees of students, each student is paid a stipend every semester to cover other expenses such as accommodation, feeding, and learning materials among others.
Richard Osei-Anim, Chief Executive Officer, Coral Reefs Foundation took the students through the advent of artificial intelligence and its impact in the future of market.
“Currently, there are over 73 million people globally who are using artificial intelligence to address various problems. This figure is going to jump to over 90 million by 2030”, he said.
Mr. Osei-Anim therefore, challenged students to take advantage of the presence of artificial intelligence and broaden their knowledge in digital literacy to complement what they were learning in the university so that they could gain from the numerous job opportunities springing up in the world of work.
Dr. Alhassan Musah, Dean of Students of the University for Development Studies, acknowledged that MTN Ghana Foundation’s scholarship was very significant in ensuring that many students who were financially challenged would be able to complete their studies.
“We’re also excited about the focus of the MTN scholarship in the area of STEM. We all know what time it is and so any move that is encouraging the study of STEM we welcome that”, he added.
He on behalf of the University’s management expressed gratitude to MTN Ghana Foundation for their consistent support to needy but brilliant students.
The MTN scholarship has been running for many years now and has benefited over 2000 students across the country till date.
Mukaramatu Seidu Harrison, a fourth year medical student, said she almost dropped out because her mother lost her cashew farm to fire, the main source of financing her education.
“I used to work in chop bars in order to raise enough money to buy my groceries. But when my mum’s cashew farm got burnt life became very difficult for me. A friend told me about MTN scholarship last year but I had doubts I would get it because these days to get a scholarship it’s all about who you know. Luckily for me when I applied I was called for an interview and I got it. MTN pays my school fees and gives me stipend which I’ve been use some to rent accommodation close to campus. I am able to buy books and other things I need which I am grateful for”, she said.
Oppong Vincent Apraku, another level 400 medical student, also thanked MTN Ghana Foundation for the support they were giving to him and many other students to enable them complete their studies.
With regards to the meeting, he said “I have learned about the need to learn artificial intelligence because of how it’s becoming the face of the future and influencing almost every profession. I have learned that it’s not all about the academics but acquiring some digital skills in an addition to what we learn in the classroom is important for our career goals and making me employable after school”, he said.
By SavannahNewsOnline.Come
