Oda citizen sets up education endowment fund
A United Kingdom-based retired investment banker, Alexander Amponsah-Yeboah, has initiated an education endowment fund to provide quality education for the indigenes of Akyem Oda.
Mr Amponsah-Yeboah, a native of Oda, has personally provided seed money of GH¢100,000 for the facility, known as Royal Agona Awosofie Education Fund, which would benefit brilliant, needy Oda indigenes pursuing education at the tertiary level, beginning from the 2025/26 academic year.
Speaking at the launching of the facility at Oda last Wednesday, Mr Amponsah-Yeboah said the objective of the fund was to encourage the youth of Oda to study hard and obtain high academic laurels to become responsible future leaders to help Oda, and Ghana in general.
He stressed that the fund was non-partisan and devoid of chieftaincy, adding that all brilliant, needy Oda students with good grades at the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) were eligible to apply for the scholarship.
Mr Amponsah-Yeboah said a five-member Board of Trustees had been set up to receive applications from the applicants and select the qualified ones on merit for consideration during the next academic year.
The Krontihene of the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, Obrempong Gyamfi Safo Kyere, who launched the facility, commended Mr Amponsah-Yeboah for initiating the laudable programme and urged all affluent Oda indigenes to contribute financially towards its success and expansion.
He emphasised that education was the bedrock of development, which had helped nations like the UK, the USA, China and India, among many other nations, to be ahead of Africa.
Obrempong Kyere condemned the attitude of some youth in the traditional area who were engaged in illegal mining (galamsey) at the expense of their education and urged them to turn over a new leaf.
He advised parents against engaging in unproductive activities like purchasing expensive funeral clothes at the expense of their children’s education.
The Head of Finance and Administration at the Birim Central Municipal Directorate of Education, Michael Kumi, was also full of praise for Mr Amponsah-Yeboah for his initiative and promised the full support of his outfit to produce more intellectuals to help develop the area.
The Headmaster of Attafuah Senior High/Technical School, Koomson Barnes, seized the opportunity to appeal to the beneficiaries of the fund to return home and contribute to help raise the quality of life of their people and also contribute to the expansion of the fund.
The Birim Central Municipal Coordinating Director, Haruna Amadu Zure, who chaired the function, admonished Mr Amponsah-Yeboah to expand the facility to benefit many brilliant, needy students in the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area.
He also urged the beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme to study courses that would make them marketable after completing university.
