MTN GHANA FOUNDATION AWARDS FIVE WINNERS OF ESSAY COMPETITION

THE MTN Ghana Foundation yesterday awarded scholarships valued at  GH¢50,000 to five deserving winners of the MTN 10 million Merit Award Essay Competition.



This merit award scheme formed part of the package to acknowledge subscribers for their loyalty to the MTN brand following MTN’s 10 million subscriber feat attained in 2011.

The winners included Ms Ishak Ngmenensoa from the Upper East Region and a student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ms Doreen Agyeiwaa and Mr John Afrifa Brobbey from the Greater Accra Region, who are students of the University of Development Studies (UDS) and the University of Mines and Technology (UMAT) respectively.

The rest are Ms Sandra Obimpeh Quayson from the Western Region and a student of the University of Ghana (UG) and Mr Shawn Martey from the Volta Region and a student of the University of Cape Coast (UCC).

They each received a cheque for GH¢10,000.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Mr Micheal Ikpoki, urged the winners to take their education seriously and that the award should help in opening other avenues for them in their academic lives.

 “Putting this award to good use not only helps you, but could also serve as a motivation for assisting more students who deserve such financial support”, he added.

He said all over the world, thousands of students strived very hard to obtain scholarships to support their education of which Ghana was no exception.

However, to meet the needs of students, scholarships have been instituted by private companies, governments and foundations which may be need based, merit based, college based or career specific.

“Whatever form they take, it is always helpful when additional assistance is provided to support one’s education, ” he stressed.

Mr Ikpoki further acknowledged the judges for their tireless efforts at reviewing all the 472 entries to the competition to help identify the winners. He also commended the efforts of the board members of the MTN Ghana Foundation for their insightful guidance.

He said the foundation had been able to embark on life enriching projects all over the country.

“In 2012 alone, critical interventions have been made through the provision of schools books, medical equipment, Information and Communication Technology centres and infrastructure to bring about quality healthcare that had and continues to impact millions of Ghanaians,” he said.

Also, an amount of GH¢9.38 million has, since 2007, been invested in health, education and economic empowerment projects which have impacted positively on Ghanaians.

In his remarks, the President of the Ghana Association of Writers, Mr Kwesi Gyan Apenteng, who was the head judge of the competition,lauded the efforts of MTN for recognising the need to train young writers.

He expressed optimism that the competition would serve as a source of review for policy makers in the country.

He also noted that over 95 per cent of the students who applied admitted to enjoying reading as a hobby, but could not remember the last book that they read during the interview.

Mr Apenteng, therefore, called on the youth to cultivate the habit of reading at all times as it would bear them fruit in the near future.

The  Executive Director of MTN Ghana Foundation, Mrs Cynthia Lumor, said, “MTN is committed to the promotion of academic excellence and is delighted to offer this scholarship package to the students”.