MTN Ghana Foundation has underscored the need for government and industry players to intensify efforts aimed at ensuring comprehensive digitalisation of the economy.
According to a board member of the Foundation, Samuel Koranteng, industry trends suggest that digital skills are among the top skills required for the workspace now and the future. This, he explained, calls for more to be done in equipping young people for the future.
To achieve this, he advocated that players in the telecommunications and technology space must step up efforts on digital training in order to produce a highly motivated digital workforce.
Mr. Koranteng said this during the MTN Ghana Bright Scholarship Reloaded Edition in Kumasi. In all, 60 students from the northern sector were given scholarships to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The beneficiaries are part of a 120 student-pool carefully selected from 1,900 applications nationwide. Priority was given to students who are physically challenged offering Information Communication and Technology (ICT) and Computer Science; as well as those reading Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and also Data analytics and Robotics.
Also, students pursuing vocational and technical skills training were considered. Some beneficiaries were also picked from the six newly-created regions: the North East, Savannah, Bono East, Ahafo, Western North and Oti Regions.
Apart from having their fees paid, each beneficiary was presented with a laptop to aid their academic work. Each of them will receive stipend every semester, in addition to free accommodation on campus for their entire stay in school.
Touching on its motivation to continue awarding scholarships to students, Mr. Koranteng indicated that the gesture is part of MTN Ghana’s vision to transform the community and also help prepare students to achieve their dreams.
“We continue reviewing the scholarship programme to reflect the Foundation’s strategic direction and industry trends, to make it more relevant in preparing the awardees for future job markets.
“We have a vision to transform our community through social investment; we continue to identify socio-economic issues affecting our societies and find solutions to them. We will continue committing funds to implement projects that will ultimately brighten the lives of beneficiaries.”
He added: “To our awardees, continue to pursue excellence – not just for yourselves but for betterment of the world around you. The Foundation is committed to providing unwavering support throughout your educational journey in your chosen academic fields and institutions”.
