Yinson Ghana has extended the Yinson Scholars Programme to include undergraduate scholarships, with five scholarships disbursed in its inaugural launch.

The Programme started in 2019 with scholarships for Senior High Schools students from low-income households around the Takoradi communities. With this extension, the Programme will now also provide financial assistance for undergraduate students throughout their tertiary education, covering payment of admission fees, accommodation, and stipends.

Since its inception, the programme has provided scholarships to a total of 40 Senior High School students, covering blankets, mosquito nets, pillows, trunks, mattresses, chop boxes, shoes, scientific calculator, provisions, exercise books, textbooks and a school bag, as well as termly stipends.

The expansion of the Programme was launched in a ceremony on 5 January 2023 at the Yinson Ghana Operations Base near Takoradi. Honoured guests in attendance included the Chief of Kejebril, Nana Anghamatsia VI, the Head of Basic School Ahanta West Municipal Directorate of Education, Daniel Payne, community leaders, head teachers, parents, students and representatives from Yinson.

Yinson Ghana Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinator, Edward Mensah explained the importance of setting up an undergraduate scholarship programme, “Students from the Yinson Scholars Programme have done extremely well in their West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). With Yinson’s support, these promising students could continue on their tertiary education, bring long-lasting change to their families and ultimately, their communities as a whole.”

Nana Anghamatsia VI advised the students to focus on their studies and not to get themselves involved in bad deeds. Daniel Payne thanked Yinson for the kind gesture and advised the students to make the best of the opportunity provided to them.

There was an emotional appreciation by a parent, My Fynn, explaining that without the support from Yinson, his son would not be able to attend university.

Speaking on behalf of the scholarship recipients, scholarship recipient Michael Asante, said they would not let Yinson’s support and investment in them go to waste, they will continue to study hard and strive to do their best to improve their lives, eventually contributing back to the community. Michael, who has five other siblings, is raised by his mother, a single parent. He received Yinson’s scholarship in 2019 and was able to achieve six Bs and two As in the WASSCE.

This is one of many education-focused initiatives that Yinson has championed in the Ahanta West area, where Yinson’s operations base for FPSO John Agyekum Kufuor is located. Previous initiatives include the building of a library, provision of books for students, phonics training for teachers in the municipality, a reading and spelling bee competition, provision of an IT centre and the renovation of a school canteen.