By Nadia Ntiamoah
The RNAQ Foundation in collaboration with the Ga Mantse Foundation has awarded 115 students from 23 tertiary institutions across Ghana, as part of efforts to ensure financial difficulties do not prevent young people from pursuing higher education.
The beneficiaries were selected from 1,689 applicants representing 100 institutions following the opening of applications for the initiative.
The Lead of RNAQ Foundation, Emmanuel Lamptey said the scholarship scheme was established to ensure financial difficulties do not prevent young people from pursuing their educational ambitions.
According to him, of the 115 students selected for the first cohort, 64.3 per cent attained First Class academic standing, while the remaining 35.7 per cent achieved Second Class Upper Division, demonstrating the strong academic credentials of the beneficiaries.
He expressed confidence that the scholarship would ease the financial burden on beneficiaries and encouraged them to remain committed to their academic pursuits and urged them to make good use of the opportunity, take their studies seriously and seek assistance whenever necessary.
The President of RNAQ Holdings, Richard Nii Armah Quaye, urged beneficiaries of the company’s educational support initiative to take their studies seriously and strive for excellence in order to become impactful citizens who can help others in need.
He cautioned the beneficiaries against complacency, stressing that the support given to them must be matched with dedication and hard work.
“We are paying the fees for you not to be reluctant, but rather to learn hard to become great for Ga land and Ghana as a whole,” he said.
“This is not something we want to do for a short period, but for a long period to help people,” he added.
According to the RNAQ Holdings President, the initiative forms part of a long-term vision to empower the youth and create opportunities for the less privileged to attain their full potential.
The Divisional Queen Mother of Lante Dzawn We , Naa Lamiley Ajaaku Dromo II who spoke on behalf of the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, urged beneficiaries of the first cohort of RNAQ-Ga Dangbe Scholarship Support Fund to uphold the legacy of academic excellence and contribute to the development of the Ga-Dangme community.
She acknowledged that all applicants demonstrated academic potential and deserved support but explained that only 115 could be selected for the current scholarship award.
Addressing the beneficiaries, she urged them to recognise their selection as a testament to their hard work and academic ability.
“You did not get here by luck. You were measured and you were found worthy,” the statement emphasised.
The Ga Mantse also had an encouraging message for applicants who were unsuccessful, assuring them that their aspirations had not been overlooked. “Your fight is not over. You have not been forgotten. Your time will come,” he said.
Beyond celebrating the scholarship recipients, the Ga Mantse used the occasion to remind the younger generation of the Ga people’s historical contributions to education, journalism, medicine, literature and leadership. She highlighted the achievements of notable Ga personalities, including Charles Bannerman, who established the Accra Herald in the 1850s and became the first African to publish a newspaper in West Africa.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke in an interview expressed their profound gratitude to the Ga Mantse Foundation and the RNAQ Foundation for the kind gesture.
According to them, the educational support has brought great relief to them and their families, and has renewed their hope for a brighter future.
They pledged to study hard and excel in their academic pursuits in order to make the foundations and their communities proud.
