About 40 students from four districts in the Ashanti Region have received educational grants from the AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Community Trust Fund.
The beneficiaries, comprising 23 females and 17 males, drawn from the Obuasi Municipality, Obuasi East, Amansie Central and Adansi North districts, received a total of GH¢80,000.
Cash sum of GH¢320,000 was also paid to 120 continuing students for the 2023/2024 academic year, from the Fund, at a short ceremony held in Obuasi.
This brings to 200 the number of students who have benefited from the Tertiary Education Grant Scheme of the Fund since the 2019/2020 academic year.
The AGA Trust Fund was launched in 2012, as part of the 2004 stability agreement between AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine and the Government of Ghana to contribute 1% of profit after tax.
As part of the revised agreement under the Development Agreement signed with the Government of Ghana in 2018, the Mine pledged to contribute USD2/Oz of gold produced into the Trust Fund.
Mr. Arnold Ackon, the Acting Programmes Manager of the AGA – Obuasi community Trust Fund, explained that the grant was instituted to support the education of brilliant but needy students in AngloGold Ashanti’s catchment communities.
He disclosed that those selected for the grant are those who meet the minimum requirements of living in AngloGold Ashanti’s concessions areas and must have attained aggregate 6-18 in their WASSCE.
He said the aggregate 6-12 is the requirement for Engineering students and 6-18 for other University Programmes and those in Colleges of Education and Nursing Training Schools.
The acting Programmes Manager of the Trust Fund said they conduct periodic monitoring of the academic progress of the beneficiaries to ensure that they are still in school and are making good grades.
He advised the beneficiaries to study hard to justify the investment made in their education by the AGA-Obuasi Community Trust Fund.
Mr. Elijah Adansi-Bona, the Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi, who is also the Steering Committee Chairman of the fund and a Board Member, stressed that the grant has given hope to students who could not further their education because of financial constraints and appealed to residents within the AngloGold Ashanti concession to protect the mine to enable them to work in a congenial environment.
Mr. Edmond Oduro Agyei, the Community Relations Manager of AngloGold Ashanti said Obuasi Mine has contributed to AGA’s massive investment in education, which includes the commencement of the KNUST-Obuasi Campus, the construction of ultra-modern 9-Unit Sanso Methodist Primary and M/A JHS, the training of over 500 teachers in Obuasi and providing over 140,000 textbooks to basic schools, in collaboration with Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation.
Chief Marcus, a level 200 student, on behalf of the beneficiary students of KNUST-Obuasi Campus, commended the Fund for coming to their aid, describing the grant as a game changer.
