University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) at Somanya and MALEKA Farms, a fish farm at Kadjanya near Akuse, have launched the MALEKA Farms Excellence Scholarship for Aquaculture Students (MESAS) at a short ceremony at the university last Tuesday.
MALEKA Farms Excellence Scholarship for Aquaculture Students, also known as MESAS, is a scholarship initiative established between MALEKA Farms Limited and the Department of Water Resources and Aquaculture Management in the School of Sustainable Development at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development. It reflects a shared commitment to supporting gifted students and strengthening the connection between university education and Ghana's aquaculture industry.
The main purpose of MESAS is to ensure that financial constraints do not prevent academically outstanding students from pursuing their education and developing their potential.
The scholarship supports financially disadvantaged but high-performing students by covering their approved academic user fees.
It also seeks to promote academic excellence in aquaculture and water resource management, nurture future leaders in Ghana’s aquaculture industry and strengthen collaboration between academia and industry.
At the launch at the University, the Dean, School of Sustainable Development at UESD, Prof. Anthony Amoah, explained that the department would establish a scholarship selection committee to manage the selection process, which would be reviewed by the school's scholarship committee and finally approved by the university's management.
He further explained that the applications would be assessed based on four key areas, which include academic performance, financial need, the applicant's personal statement and recommendation letters and the final selection would be made in consultation with MALEKA Farm Limited.
The Dean noted that MESAS would commence this 2026/2027 academic year and per the agreement with MALEKA Farm Limited, it would start with a five-year scholarship subject to periodic review, adding "continued support will take into account the programme’s impact, the availability of resources and mutual agreement between MALEKA Farm Limited and the Department".
Prof. Amoah gave the assurance that the Department and the School would manage the application and selection process transparently, monitor the academic progress of beneficiaries, provide periodic reports to the sponsor, ensure that scholarship funds were used for their intended purpose and above all, provide academic and professional guidance to the students.
Discover
A representative of the benefactors, Mark Aboujaoude, said that universities must be places where students are encouraged not only to learn what was already known, but also to discover what was unknown.
They must be allowed to ask difficult questions, conduct research, experiment, fail, learn and ultimately develop solutions that could transform Ghanaian agriculture.
"We believe that the brightest young minds in Ghana should have the opportunity to participate in this transformation", Mr Aboujaoude emphasised.
The Vice Chancellor of UESD, Prof. Eric Nyarko Sampson, on behalf of the university, thanked Maleka Farm Limited for the investment made in the students of the university and the future of aquaculture in Ghana.
