Goldfields Ghana grants scholarships, bursaries to students
Goldfields Ghana, operator of the Tarkwa and Damang gold mines in the Western Region, has presented scholarship and bursary awards to 130 students.
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They comprise 85 students in second cycle and 45 in tertiary institutions. The package is to enable the students to successfully pursue their studies.
Foundation/funding
In 2004, Goldfields Ghana established a foundation to serve as a corporate social responsibility activity aimed at creating opportunities for its stakeholders, especially employees and communities in which it operates.
The foundation receives its funding from the company’s mines at Tarkwa and Damang. For every ounce of gold produced, US41.0 goes into the foundation in addition to 0.05 per cent of pre-tax profit.
The scholarship scheme has so far benefited 932 persons in various disciplines and levels of education.
General Manager
In his speech at the awards ceremony at the Tarkwa Mine, the General Manager of Goldfields-Tarkwa, Mr Michael Van Der Merve, said young people were the future of society and as such it was the duty of public-spirited persons and institutions to encourage them to achieve their full potential.
He stressed that the contribution of higher education to economic development was significant and that no laudable development could take place without quality education.
‘‘That is why Goldfields, being a socially responsible company and committed to genuine sustainable development, has decided to upgrade the human capacity of inhabitants in the areas where we operate. We are, therefore, proud to award these scholarships to support the students in their studies,’’ he said.
According to Mr Merve, the company believed that the unemployment situation the country faced could be controlled if support was given to initiatives that made education the cornerstone and one that was relevant to the “world of work.”
Societal progress
He urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity offered them. ‘‘It is important that you take the trouble to broaden your outlook and be conscious of the problems in your communities but above all, commit yourselves by contributing in whatever way you can towards the progress of the society.”
He said the education they received in the various institutions of learning should provide them with a priceless start to life.