AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine has awarded scholarships to 50 students from its host communities for their tertiary education.

This forms part of efforts to provide a sustainable future for the youth through education.

All the scholarship beneficiaries will have their school fees, accommodation fees, and all other related costs paid in full by the Mine until they complete their studies.

This year’s scholarship recipients will join 152 students from the company’s host communities who have benefitted from the Iduapriem Community Scholarship Scheme instituted in 2011 to assist deserving students to further their education at the tertiary level.

Presenting the award during the company’s 19^th Annual Thanksgiving Service, the Managing Director of Iduapriem Mine, Samuel Boakye Pobee, reaffirmed the Mine’s commitment to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4).

“In line with our commitment to diversity and inclusion, the Management of Iduapriem Mine this year reserved 50% of our scholarship award for females pursuing STEM-related programmes at the tertiary level as part of efforts to bridge the gap between males and females in the mining industry,” Mr Pobee indicated.

He, therefore, urged the scholarship beneficiaries, especially the females, to take advantage of the opportunities presented and focus on their studies to reach their full potential.

Senior Manager- Sustainability, Stephen Adjei, noted that the scholarship scheme forms part of several innovative interventions being implemented by the Mine in pursuit of their value intention of leaving their communities better off for having been there.

“Through our Basic Education Improvement Programme, last year we undertook several interventions to improve educational standards across our host communities, including the provision of teaching and learning materials, commissioning of two modern six-unit classroom blocks for the New Tokunaso and Awodua Methodist Basic schools, as well as an eight-bedroom semi-detached ultra-modern apartment for Abompuniso Basic School teachers,” said Mr Adjei.

He indicated that the Mine has spent over ¢2 million since the inception of the Community Scholarship scheme to support over 200 students at the tertiary level, with some of the beneficiaries becoming chartered accountants, engineers, doctors, bankers, nurses, and teachers, among others.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Lawrencia Quansah, who is pursuing Electricals and Electronics Engineering degree at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said she was on the path to becoming one of the best electrical engineers in the country.

“With this scholarship, I will have a sound mind to study and pursue my four-year Electricals and Electronics Engineering programme to achieve my dream of becoming one of Ghana’s best engineers. I feel privileged because I come from a home that wouldn’t have been able to grant me this opportunity,” Lawrencia said.

She, therefore, expressed gratitude to Iduapriem Mine for giving them a window of opportunity to pursue their studies at the tertiary level, saying, “this is a stepping stone to becoming good and useful citizens in the future".