A total of 49 students drawn from five host communities of West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) in the Shama District of the western region have benefitted from a whooping GHC650,000.00 scholarship package from the gas transporter company.
The scholarship package covers accommodation, tuition fees and a sum of GHC9,300 every academic year, until completion.
The General Manager of Corporate Affairs, Dr. Isaac Adjei Doku, disclosed this at the scholarship presentation ceremony for the 49 beneficiaries at Shama.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Dr.Doku said the Scholarship award was for students with outstanding academic performance.
He explained that since the inception of the livelihood support programme, the company has supported 503 students and so far disbursed equivalent of $921,000.00 in Ghana to ensure that youth in our host communities have an equal opportunity to develop and achieve their potential to make meaningful contribution to their communities.
He said the investment in the youth was to ensure that the host communities have the requisite talents for their growth and development.
The WAPCo General Manger was proud to announce that so far, the award scheme has achieved 100 percent completion rate as all previous recipients of the scholarship except those still in school have successfully completed their programmes and graduated.
“The academic excellence of these graduates is reflective of our WAPCos core value of operational excellence”.
Dr. Doku congratulated the freshly graduate and advised them to take their book serious and reciprocate the investment made in them by completing their course with flying colours.
Raphael Adu Taylor, Shama GES Director, described the award scheme as a gesture that has provided opportunity for students to realize their dream.
He wondered what the fate of the beneficiaries will be without the scholarship support, by saying “What would have been the fate of these brilliant but needy beneficiaries without WAPCo scholarship support”.
For this reason, the District Education Director asked the students to see the award as a privilege and that the investment being made in them should be held in high esteem. He said every privilege comes with responsibility and hard work and for that reason, the beneficiaries should learn hard to justify why they qualified for the scholarship.
He advised parents to also play a role by pushing their wards to justify the investment made in them.
He said their responsibility was to take care of the wards and make sure they completed their programme.
“If you fail as a parent you will be answerable to God because WAPCo has relieved you of financial burden, which hitherto you were left to battle with”.
Nana KwaminaWienu, on his part, expressed his profound gratitude to WAPCO for the scholarship package.
Turning his attention to the beneficiaries, he asked them to count themselves lucky to have secured the scholarship, given the number of application received.
Present at the ceremony were; Nana KwaminaWienu II, acting president of Shama Traditional Council, William Osei Owusu, General Manger External Relations, Nuna Senanya, Head of Communication, Raphael Adu Taylor, Shame District Director of Education. The rest are Ebenezer Dadzie, District Chief Executive (DCE), Elected Assembly Members and other traditional leaders.
