A total of one hundred and seven senior high school students within the Chirano Gold Mines ltd (CGML) catchment communities have been awarded scholarships to study at the tertiary level.
The intervention, under the community scholarship programme of the Chirano Sefwiman Foundation and the CGML General Manager’s scholarships targets needy but brilliant students from the 20 local communities of the Mine.
At a ceremony to present the awards to fifty-three students, General Manager of CGML, Ing Stephen Asante Yamoah said, “the beneficiaries represent the bright future of our nation, and we are confident that they will make significant contributions to society in the years to come”.
According to him, the scholarships reaffirm the commitment of the mining firm to education and community development.
“Through education, we empower individuals to break free from the shackles of ignorance, poverty, and inequality, and to chart their own path towards a brighter future”, he added.
From 2020 to 2023, Chirano Gold Mines Limited through the Chirano Sefwiman Foundation and the Chirano General Manager’s scholarships, have provided higher education opportunities to fifty-four (54) needy but brilliant students at the tertiary level. The two scholarship schemes have spent about GHC800,000 on these beneficiaries so far.
The award of an additional 53 scholarships brings the total number of scholarships beneficiaries to one hundred and seven (107).
Chief of Sefwi Nsuonsia, Nana Eluo Panyin III, who is the chair of the scholarship award committee commended Chirano Gold Mines for their focus on developing the human resource base of local communities, stressing the awardees could bring a significant improvement in the well-being of their families and communities.
“If the big companies in their area all decided to award even a fraction of the scholarship being given by Chirano Gold Mines Ltd after so many years of operation, we would have seen a more significant level of development in Sefwi”, he noted.
Board Chairman of the Chirano Sefwiman Foundation, Dindiok Chialin explained that the Foundation is funded by the company’s contribution of $1 for every ounce of gold produced by CGML. It is from this contribution that 20% is allocated to scholarship. In addition to the $1/oz contribution by the, CGML also continues to fund the administrative cost of the Foundation.
“Over and beyond the support the company gives to the Foundation, the company has also instituted the GM Scholarship scheme which awards 6 brilliant but needy students annually. The 53 beneficiaries today include 12 who would be funded directly by the company”.
He continued that the beneficiaries went through a rigorous selection process administered and supervised by the members of the board.
“The criteria include their WASSCE grades, aptitude test and interviews. This process is to ensure that the scholarships are awarded to deserving students”, Mr Chialin explained.
Expressing gratitude to the mining company on behalf of the beneficiaries, Eunice Addai Donkor thanked the company for awarding them the scholarship.
“We promise to learn hard to be successful in all our educational endeavours. This support will go a long way to propel us to achieve a higher feat”, she stated.