Some old students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have supported the institution with GHS1 million towards development.
The cheque was presented by Mr Ernest Akwasi Appiah, the Managing Director (MD) of Enepa Ventures Limited and Agricultural Manufacturing Group Company (AMG) to the School of Public Health (SPH) and the Department of Horticulture of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on 19th October 2021.
Mr. Appiah, an entrepreneur, explained that the donation was made in response to a request from Dr. Eli Gaveh, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Horticulture, to help the University’s ongoing activities.
Mr. Appiah further stated that each academic year, he intends to grant scholarships to twenty (20) deserving SPH and Faculty of Agriculture students.
He said this gesture is in line with his belief that financial challenges should not be a limiting factor in maintaining children in schools. As a result, he stated that he will continue to help students in similar situations.
On behalf of the University, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo thanked Mr. Appiah for his considerate gift. He assured in a speech that the money will be put to good use and due recognition will be given to him for his current gesture and any future support to the University. He welcomed other well-meaning Ghanaians and cooperate bodies to emulate this example from Mr. Appiah and AMG.
In terms of scholarship awards, Prof. Owusu-Dabo explained that there were stringent criteria in place for identifying outstanding but underprivileged students, assuring the delegation that scholarships will be given to worthy beneficiaries.
Prof. Christian Agyare, Provost of the College of Health Sciences and Prof. Enoch Osekre, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, and the Provost of the College of Agriculture also thanked Mr Appiah and AMG for the donation.
The Dean of the School of Public Health, Prof. Sam Newton, reiterated that the fund will help expand infrastructure for public health education at KNUST, increase enrolment and help address current public health challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Eli Gaveh, an Agronomist and Business Strategist, who facilitated the funding suggested that the dedication of Mr. Appiah to build AMG and Enepa into strong indigenous brands should be hailed to spur entrepreneurial drive among university graduates and other youth.
In another meeting, the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson was delighted with the support and asked that this should not be the end. She gave the firm commitment of the university to support AMG and any other benevolent entity with excellent publicity, brand building, research and product development.
AMG is the country’s largest indigenous manufacturer and distributor of high-efficiency and high-performance crop fertilizers, having been formed in 2012. They provide crop nutrition product/strategy to small and large-scale farmers that ensures high yields by implementing less expensive, but highly effective crop nutrition combinations, better crops, raise farmer returns, improve farmer livelihoods and ensure food security and sustainable development. The visionary entrepreneur expanded his operations to aid in the strengthening of Ghana’s economy and empowerment of farmers across the sixteen (16) regions and 256 districts of the country through the Planting for Food and Jobs campaign among others.
