Stanbic Bank Ghana has donated 50 laptops at an average cost of GHC10,000 each to the Kwame Nkrumah University Science and Technology (KNUST), in support of the Vice-Chancellor’s ‘Support One Needy Student with One Laptop’ (SONSOL) initiative.
It brings to 350, the total number of laptops donated by the bank to KNUST, since the initiative was introduced in 2020.
It is part of the bank’s commitment to education and Ghana’s digital transformation and youth development agenda to empower more students with the tools to thrive.
SONSOL initiated in 2020 by the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson, provides laptops to financially disadvantaged students to bridge the digital divide and enhance their access to education and online resources. It also aims to equip students with essential digital tools for their academic success.
Mr. Kwamina Asomaning, Managing-Director, Stanbic Bank Ghana, disclosed that as one thinks of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at the tertiary level, there is no other university than KNUST, hence the donation.
He stressed that the bank had benefitted from the products of the collaboration between the bank and KNUST, envisaging many more years of fruitful collaboration.
The Managing-Director announced that Stanbic Bank would sponsor the Women in STEM (WiSTEM) initiative, which seeks to increase female enrolment by KNUST upon the instance of the Vice-Chancellor.
The sponsorship has been christened: “Stanbic Bank Women in STEM”.
Receiving the donations, Prof. Mrs. Dickson disclosed that KNUST and Stanbic Bank have come a long way, citing that when her outfit’s E-infrastructure needed evolution in 2020, without leaving any student behind to make sure students are hooked up on the E-Teaching and Learning research, Stanbic Bank came in handy.
According to her, the bank had “walked and worked” with her outfit and that the profound impact of Stanbic’s generosity was overwhelming.
Bridging the digital divide, The VC disclosed that KNUST’s management could not have bridged the digital divide with the over 80,000 “needy but brilliant” students without the “commitment, dedication, assistance and support” of the bank.
Mr. Mawuko Afadzinu, Head of Brand and Marketing, Stanbic Bank Ghana, noted that the project had seen palpable progress and impacting lives, noting that the bank was very proud and would continue to support the initiative.
He said the donation was not a conventional one, but a way of making “transformational impact” in the lives of the most productive segmented part of our community, and also finding ways to impact the lives in “the right space and way.”
According to him, STEM for Girls was important to the Bank because of the gender-imbalance in distribution vis-a-vis STEM.
Mr Afadzinu explained that the partnership with KNUST facilitated the space for Stanbic to be able to influence WiSTEM over the period of five years, for girls who had demonstrated ability to perform.
He stressed that once that was done, it would create a “dynamic pool” of talents, who would influence future generations, making it a “virtuous circle” and self-enforcing.
Mr. Anthony Asare, Regional Manager, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo, Stanbic Bank Ghana, noted that the objective of the project was to bridge the gap between theoretical and practicality of what students are learning, hence the Bank’s believe in “how to develop skills” and nurture adeptness of students to be ready for the job market.
The Manager said the Bank’s continuous donation over a five-year period, indicated their readiness and preparedness to ensure that beneficiaries receive the best to prepare them for the job market as well as aid in the economic growth of the nation.
From Oswald Pius Freiku, Kumasi
