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Since 2021, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has presented more than 3,300 laptops to brilliant needy students to enhance teaching and learning in the institution.
The gesture was part of the university’s Support One Needy Student with One Laptop (SONSOL) project, launched in 2020 to provide laptops for underprivileged students.
The monetary value of the laptops so far presented to the beneficiary students stands at GH¢35m.
The Vice-Chancellor, KNUST, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, disclosed this during the 2025 ceremony to present the 2025 edition of free laptops to beneficiary students at the Great Hall.
Only Level 100 to 300 students are eligible to apply for support.
For new students, a maximum of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) aggregate of 18 is required for one to qualify for the project, and for continuing students, one needs to attain a minimum Cumulative Weighted Average (CWA) of 55.00 and above.
The selection criteria are ‘watertight’ to ensure that the laptops are received only by students who are in critical need of them.
The laptops were donated by various corporate organisations and individuals, including SIC Insurance PLC, Telecel Ghana, Stanbic Bank, Omnibsic, and other private benefactors.
She said in a world where artificial intelligence (AI) permeated every aspect of life, the future would belong to graduates who could confidently navigate the digital space.
She noted that disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and quantum science required students to be equipped with the necessary tools to actively engage in teaching, learning and research.
She said, “Indeed, the world today, and even more so tomorrow, has little room for digital illiteracy,” stressing that poverty should never be a barrier to education and that all must continue to work towards alleviating it.
“As an institution committed to an all-inclusive education, we keep our focus towards achieving it for the benefit of the nation”, she said and further commended the partners and collaborators for always supporting the university with the needed laptops to be presented to the students.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director, SIC Insurance PLC, James Agyenim-Boateng, said the commitment of KNUST towards promoting equal access to education was not only commendable but deeply aligned with the values of the company.
“If we often say education is the key, then a laptop in the hands of university students who are in need of it is a powerful enabler that unlocks doors to knowledge, innovation and future success,” he said.
He stated that supporting education had always been a pillar of SIC’s corporate social responsibility, adding that for decades the institution had invested in youth development, scholarships, donations, and the provision of job opportunities.
For her part, the Director of Legal and External Affairs, Telecel Ghana, Augusta Andrews, said the SONSOL project was a shining example of what was possible when institutions prioritised inclusive innovation and the real needs of students.
She said the Telecel Ghana Foundation remained committed to equipping young people with the tools and skills needed to thrive in the digital future, noting “in this digital age, no student should be left behind because of financial barriers”.
