Bantama — A total of 106 tertiary students and a basic school in the Bantama Constituency in the Ashanti Region have received a GH¢74,219.79 education scholarship.
The students from Akenten Appiah-Menta University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development received GH¢16,000; Christian University College received GH¢3,500; the Kwame Nkrumah University of Technology, received GH¢48,300 and Ohwin R/C Primary School received GH¢6,419.79.
The scholarship is an initiative of the Member of Parliament (MP) of Bantama Constituency and Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye.
Also, the MP through his Livelihood Support Scheme presented more than GH¢97,500 to 39 petty traders involved in the sale of vegetables and foodstuff to facilitate the growth of entrepreneurship in the community.
Presenting dummy cheques to the beneficiaries yesterday, Mr Asenso-Boakye revealed that the gesture was part of his initiatives to address challenges facing the vulnerable members of the community and increase development.
"The gesture will go a long way to offset the academic fees, and expenses of the students, and it will also enable the beneficiaries to focus on their studies and pursue their fields of interest without any financial burden," he explained.
The MP underscored the need for other MPs to work closely with their constituents, especially the communities' underprivileged members, to identify their challenges and provide innovative solutions to address them.
The Bantama lawmaker disclosed that the source of funds for the initiative was derived from the MPs Common Fund saying that "this investment will go a long way to create a positive impact on the lives of the beneficiaries, and propel them to contribute meaningfully to their communities and society at large."
He further appealed to the beneficiaries to make good use of the modest support to achieve its desired objectives.
Prior to that, the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations for Africa at the United Nations Secretariat in New York, Mrs Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee paid a courtesy call on the MP to discuss various issues regarding the development of the Bantama Constituency.