Asanko Gold Ghana Limited has launched a full educational scholarship scheme to support brilliant but financially challenged students in its host communities, offering renewed hope to young people whose tertiary dreams were fading due to economic hardship.

The initiative, part of the company’s five-year Social and Economic Development Plan (SEDEP), will provide up to 15 beneficiaries each year with comprehensive support covering tuition, accommodation, and other approved academic expenses.

Each student will receive up to GH₵10,000 annually, amounting to GH₵30,000–GH₵40,000 over the course of their programme.

One of the beneficiaries, 24-year-old Emmanuel Aboagye from Manso Nkensu, said the scholarship has revived his long-held ambition of becoming an engineer after years of personal tragedy and financial difficulty nearly derailed his aspirations.

“With everything that happened—losing my parents and even the relative who wanted to help me—I thought it was never going to happen,” he said. “Sometimes I would sit indoors crying because I love to study. Today, securing this scholarship to pursue engineering has given me a new beginning.”

Emmanuel’s story, according to community leaders, reflects the struggles faced by many young people in the Amansie West and Amansie South Districts, where financial barriers often force students to abandon their tertiary dreams.

Asanko Gold Ghana says the scholarship is designed not only to get students into university but to support them throughout their education and career journey. General Manager Ahmed Mohadini-Yahaya explained that the company wants to empower young people to eventually take up key roles in the mining operation and within their communities.

“We hope they will return as engineers, teachers, health professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders,” he said. “Our long-term goal is to see young people from the catchment areas qualify for and occupy critical positions at the mine.”

Beneficiaries are selected through a rigorous screening process overseen by a Scholarship Selection Committee made up of representatives from the District Education Directorates, Assemblies, Divisional Chiefs, and Asanko officials. The committee will also track the academic performance of beneficiaries and support opportunities for internships and national service.

Parents and chiefs from the host communities have welcomed the intervention, describing it as a timely lifeline that will transform families for generations.

Emmanuel, now pursuing his engineering programme, says the support has restored his confidence and future prospects.

“I am very grateful to Asanko Gold Ghana for giving me this opportunity. Without this scholarship, I doubt I would ever have entered university,” he said.