Pecan Energies Ghana Limited, an oil and gas exploration company, and its partners have awarded full scholarships to 161 students to pursue tertiary education in the country.

Out of the total beneficiaries, 20 outstanding students (Cohort 4) were inducted to enjoy full scholarships for the 2024 and 2025 academic years, while the remaining 141 were celebrated as members of the graduating class.

The package, which is known as the Pecan Inspire Scholarship Programme (PISP), covers full tuition and lodging fees, a laptop to aid academic work, a stipend for the semester and students' development programmes, including career and skills training, as well as mentoring and academic advising.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pecan Energies Ghana Limited, Kadijah Amoah, who made this known in Accra yesterday,  said the PSIP, which was launched in 2020, prioritised science, technology, engineering, mathematics and related courses.

Priorities

The ceremony was also to award some exceptional PSIP beneficiaries of the graduating class who excelled during their tertiary programmes.

Mrs Amoah said the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of the company continued to provide life-changing educational support to bright students from low-income households.

“It reaffirms the commitment of Pecan Energies and its partners, Lukoil Overseas Ghana Tano Limited, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Fueltrade Limited, to investing in the future of the country,” she said.

Describing the year’s scholarship awards as a historic milestone, Mrs Amoah said it coincided with the first-ever cohort of PSIP graduates and also highlighted the long-term impact of the programme.

She said for the first time in the history of the programme, gender parity had been achieved with 50 per cent of the beneficiaries for this year being female, and 50 per cent being male.

“This milestone reaffirms our commitment to ensuring equal access to education and empowering both young men and women to reach their full potential,” Mrs Amoah indicated and mentioned one beneficiary, Edward Tendeh, who, she said, was forced to delay his tertiary education for a year in the absence of his father.

The Pecan Energies CEO said thanks to the PSIP, Mr Tendeh is currently studying a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Chemical Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

For his part, Mr Tendeh, on behalf of his colleague beneficiaries, said the scholarship was a promise that was beyond just an opportunity.

promise

“This is a promise that no matter where we come from, no matter how difficult the road has been, we have the power to rise above our circumstances. Pecan Energies has not only invested in our education but in our future,” he stated.

The Omanhen of the Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia, who chaired the function, advised the beneficiaries of the scholarship not to abandon the African continent after their education, but to do their best to help the continent grow.