Kasapreko, a leading beverage manufacturer in Ghana has put in place a 'Student Leadership Awards' scheme to honour thriving students in the area of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering across various Technical Universities and the Regional Maritime University.

The aim of the awards scheme is to strengthen industry and academic collaboration thus offering students a practical platform through which they can apply skills acquired.

The awards scheme, Kasapreko Student Leadership Awards" kick-started at the Takoradi Technical University last year and over the weekend awarded Mr Kato Maxwell Kumah who was adjudged the Overall Best Engineering Student at the Cape Coast Technical University.

Mr. Kuma received a GHC 2,000.00 cash prize, a laptop, a commemorative plaque, a National Service enrolment with KCL as well as full employment after service.

Speaking at the school's 18th Graduation Ceremony, Mr Solomon Owusu Bonnah, the HR Manager at Kasapreko said that the scheme forms part of Corporate Social Responsibility, as they honour thriving students in the field.

"We are doing this to close the gap that has existed between academia and the industry. Due to the nature of our operations and the standard required, we highly recruit the expertise of Engineers and have over the years trained lots of graduates to fit into the corporate environment after school.

"Going forward, as part of our corporate social responsibility and to strategically position ourselves as an employer of choice, we wish to expand this program to other Universities offering Engineering programmes," he noted.

Mr Bonnah was hopeful that this awards scheme would motivate students as they strive for excellence, a hallmark of KCL.

Dr Charles Emmanuel Oppong, Former Dean of the School of Engineering at the Cape Coast Technical University was grateful to KCL for setting up the awards scheme to motivate students.

He further appealed to the company to make a special presentation for exceptional Female Engineers which according to him will motivate more female students to take up the course which was largely dominated by men.

"I want to thank Kasapreko for this laudable initiative but I will entreat them to also institute an award for the best female engineering student to encourage more women to excel in the field of engineering," he said.

KCL was established in 1989 by Dr. Kwabena Adjei to provide quality drinks at affordable prices to all Ghanaians and has been certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

It has over the years won numerous awards including the Beverage Company of the Year at the 2021 West African Business Excellence Awards, Top 25 most admired brands in Africa, Product of the Year 2017 for Awake Purified Drinking Water, Best Indigenous Tax Compliance Company for 2018 by the Ghana Revenue Authority, Bitters of the Year 2019, among many others.