AGA Trust Fund gives scholarships to 120 tertiary students
The Community Trust Fund of AngloGold Ashanti (AGA), Obuasi Mines, has offered various educational grants to 120 brilliant but needy tertiary students within its catchment area as part of plans to build the capacities of locals to compete for jobs within the company.
It is the third in the series of support for indigenous youth initiated in 2019.
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Forty students benefit from the programme each year.
This year's cohort of 40 beneficiaries was made up of 22 males and 18 females.
Already, 80 continuing students had benefited from the first and second disbursements of 40 students per cohort.
The Trust Fund has since 2019/2020 academic year disbursed a total of GHS180,000.00 in support of the beneficiaries.
Per the agreement with the communities, $2 per ounce of gold produced is set aside for community development and enhancement.
The fund has produced a number of lifesaving amenities including potable water, public toilets and educational infrastructure.
Special interest
The Municipal Chief Executive of Obuasi, Mr. Elijah Adansi-Bonah, who also doubles as the Steering Committee Chairman of the fund, said attention would be focused more on students pursuing programmes that were mining-related.
"Hitherto, most of the beneficiaries were students from the training colleges but the Steering Committee decided to redirect its focus on students pursuing mining-related programmes so they could be competitive for a job in the mines," he said.
Mr. Adansi-Bonah called for collaboration between Anglogold Ashanti and the people of Obuasi, in particular, to help the revamped mines to grow and impact on the community.
The Dunsinasehene of Fomena, Nana Owi-Asamoah, expressed appreciation to the Trust Fund for prioritising education. He appealed to the company to extend the scheme to those pursuing Masters Programmes as well as PhDs.
Nana Owi-Asamoah, said, based on the sensitive role played by medical officers in the community, he appealed to the Steering Committee to consider expanding the scholarship scheme to cover those in the medical field.
In a message sent to the beneficiaries, the Senior Manager of Sustainability Anglogold Ashanti, Mr. Emmanuel Baidoo, said the Trust Fund existed to make investments that would contribute meaningfully to community development, aligns with the priorities of communities and local government.
In the message read on his behalf by the Stakeholder Engagement Officer, Mr Emmanuel Massey, the Sustainability Manager said the project will lead to a healthy relationship between Anglogold Ashanti and the communities.
He reiterated AGA's commitment to supporting the communities within the catchment areas to make life worth living.
The Fund
The AGA-Community Trust Fund was established in 2012.
Available figures indicate that since 2019 till date, the mines have contributed GHS3,255,420.81 to the fund.