Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Sunday launched the Konkomba Education Endowment Fund (KEEF) with the promise that government will always be responsive to the needs of the people.
He explained that the future of every country depended on the kind of education provided to its people as it was pivotal in achieving significant economic growth.
Dr Bawumia said this at the launch an initiative by the Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA) in Accra.
Themed, ‘Investing in Education for Growth and Development of Nkpakpando,’ KEEF is aimed at establishing a legacy collective fund that would serve as a supportive instrument to help in the human resource development of Kikpakpaan.
Dr Bawumia noted that government had introduced several initiatives in order to capacitate the country’s human resource base, hence the introduction of the KEEF was a step in the right direction as it was rightly in alignment with government’s aim of bettering its human capital.
“Human capital is what transforms nations. Africa has a vast youth population. It is difficult to attain development without enhancing its human capital,” he said.
“It is for this reason that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led administration since 2017 put in place initiatives all geared towards providing for all manner of persons access to quality education,” he added.
He therefore urged well-meaning individuals and stakeholders to contribute in supporting needy but brilliant Konkomba youth and donated a sum of GHC 100,000 to the fund.
Prof. Naana Jane Opoku- Agyeman, running-mate to former President John Dramani Mahama in the 2020 general elections reiterated that education played a crucial role in social and national development.
She professed that the fund being hinged on education, women, the youth, and more importantly the fact that 60 per cent of KEEF resources were for girls thrilled her.
According to Prof. Opoku- Agyemang, when girls are educated a lot of people get to be impacted in all spheres of life.
“Education plays a crucial role in social and national development and so the fact that the youth have decided to add their voice interests me because I am particular about youth drive to add value to themselves,” she said.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang pledged her support and charged others to do same to ensure that the country moved forward.
On behalf of Mr Mahama and the National Democratic Congress, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang donated GHc50, 000 to the fund.
Education Minister, Mr Yaw Osei Adutwum, in a speech read on his behalf said that access to quality education, as envisaged in Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), was the pivot around which all other SDGs revolved.
He therefore commended the Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA) for introducing such a worthy cause to complement government’s effort in providing education to all people.
Mr Adutwum also pledged government’s support to KOYA and called on stakeholders to support the initiative to succeed.
For his part, Chairman of the Konkomba Development Committee, Prof. Justice Nyigmah Bawole who donated GHC 10,000 to the fund said the initiative by KOYA was to offer multiple benefits to brilliant but needy Konkombas to broaden their academic opportunities, and help the youth who desire to acquire vocational skills and knowledge to enhance self-reliance.
The launch of KEEF also saw the inauguration of a 10-member trustee board.
BY ABIGAIL ARTHUR & CECILIA LAGBA
