MTN Ghana has awarded scholarships to 500 students and teachers under its Bright Scholarship Programme to ease financial barriers to higher education and strengthen skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), as well as vocational and technical education.
The beneficiaries comprise 300 tertiary students and 200 teachers. Each scholarship covers tuition and accommodation and includes a laptop and a stipend to support beneficiaries throughout their studies.
MTN CEO Urges Beneficiaries to Pursue Excellence
Speaking at the 2026 MTN Bright Scholarship Awards ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Mr Stephen Blewett, said the initiative reflected the company’s commitment to ensuring that financial hardship did not prevent talented young people from pursuing their ambitions.
He said 5,194 people applied for the scholarships, with 3,200 shortlisted for interviews before the final 500 beneficiaries were selected. The beneficiaries include 14 persons with disabilities.
“Behind every scholarship is a person with a dream and a family hoping to see it fulfilled. Today, we celebrate what becomes possible when that dream gets a chance,” he said.
Mr Blewett recounted the experience of a previous beneficiary who spent a year at home after completing secondary school because his family could not afford university fees.
With support from the MTN Ghana Foundation, the student enrolled at the University for Development Studies and subsequently graduated with distinction, earning academic honours in the School of Pharmacy.
“The talent was already there in this young man. So was the determination. Our scholarship helped remove the financial barrier standing in his way,” he said.
Mr Blewett said MTN’s 30th anniversary provided an opportunity to recognise the support Ghanaians had given the company by investing in the next generation.
He urged the student beneficiaries to remain disciplined, seek guidance when necessary and develop practical solutions to problems in their communities.
“Your financial circumstances need not limit your ambition,” he said. “Prepare not just to pass your examinations, but to put your knowledge to work.”
He also encouraged the beneficiaries to use technology responsibly, stressing that artificial intelligence should support learning rather than replace students’ own efforts. Mr Blewett said the scholarships would help deepen their knowledge and improve learning outcomes in their classrooms.
“Those who help others grow deserve opportunities to grow too,” he said. “Make difficult concepts clearer and connect lessons to practical problems. The value of your scholarship can reach every learner you teach.”
According to Mr Blewett, the Bright Scholarship Programme has awarded 1,220 scholarships since its introduction. Its beneficiaries include 17 valedictorians or best graduating students and 299 first-class graduates.
He also announced MTN’s commitment to supporting a hotline being developed by the education authorities to enable students and others to seek assistance. He said the company would help ensure that the number was easy to remember and widely publicised.
Government Calls for Private Sector Support
The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, commended MTN for complementing government efforts to expand access to education.
He said financial difficulties continued to prevent many talented young people from achieving their academic goals, despite progress towards more equitable and inclusive education.
“By removing financial barriers, it creates opportunities for deserving students to pursue their ambitions and realise their full potential,” he said, referring to the scholarship programme.
Dr Apaak said the government had allocated GH¢300 million in the 2026 Budget to support continuing scholarship beneficiaries and new local and international scholarship awards.
He also disclosed that the Minister for Education was engaging the Minister for Finance to secure the timely release of funds under the No Fees Stress policy.
The objective, he explained, was to ensure that institutions received funding before students reported, reducing the need for parents to make upfront payments while awaiting reimbursement.
Dr Apaak called on more businesses to establish educational support programmes, saying the government needed private-sector partnerships to meet the country’s educational needs.
“Every scholarship awarded is more than support for one student. It is an investment in the workforce, leadership and expertise our nation needs for tomorrow,” he said.
He urged the beneficiaries to regard the scholarships as both recognition of their achievements and a responsibility to contribute to national development.
MTN Highlights Scholarship Benefits and Academic Achievements
The Acting General Manager for Sustainability and Shared Value at MTN Ghana, Mrs Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, said the Bright Scholarship Programme formed part of the company’s commitment to education and human capital development.
She said the programme, rebranded in 2017, covered full tuition fees, hostel accommodation, a laptop and a stipend for beneficiaries throughout their studies. It supports students in public tertiary institutions, while exceptional requests for further studies are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Mrs Fiagbenu said MTN had integrated its Teachers Improvement Programme into the Bright Scholarship to enable both students and teachers to benefit.
She added that beneficiaries were required to maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA), with their academic performance reviewed annually to determine their eligibility for continued support.
According to her, the programme had produced more than 200 first-class graduates, some of whom had become doctors and were contributing to national development.
She said the awards would be presented in two phases, with the Accra ceremony followed by another in the Ashanti Region for beneficiaries from Ashanti and northern Ghana.
Mrs Fiagbenu urged the public and former beneficiaries to help publicise the scholarship to ensure that more eligible students became aware of the opportunity.
“Young people are the future of the country. We need to continue to invest in young people so that we are able to grow another crop of leaders who will take over the leadership of the country,” she said.
Judges Outline Scholarship Selection Criteria
During a panel discussion, the judges explained that applicants underwent interviews and follow-up checks to verify their academic ability and financial need, ensuring that the scholarships reached deserving students.
They said cases requiring clarification were subjected to further verification, while differences in assessments were resolved through discussion and consensus.
The judges urged beneficiaries to maintain satisfactory academic performance and comply with the scholarship’s conditions to retain the support.
Source: Isaac Kofi Dzokpo /mydailynewsonline.com
