General Electric Provides $100,000 Grants to University of Ghana Students

February 01, 2015

Scholarship to cover full tuition for four-year degree

Financial aid to needy students to augment the country's human resource base

[caption id="attachment_15996" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo: University of Ghana
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ernest Aryeetey (right), receiving the symbolic cheque on behalf of the University. With him are Mr. Jeff Immelt, Global Chairman of GE (second from right) and Hon. Emmanuel Kofi Buah, Minister of Energy and Petroleum (third from right)[/caption] One hundred students of the University of Ghana will have their tuition fully paid until they complete their studies. Thanks to global infrastructure leader General Electric, which announced this during a cocktail organised in honour of its visiting Chairman Mr. Jeff Immelt. The $100,000 scholarship is part of a broader collaboration between GE and tertiary institutions in Ghana on capacity development. The CEO of GE Ghana Mr Leslie Nelson said the gesture validates GE's commitment to human capital development and localising its operations in Ghana. According to Mr Nelson, training, building skills and technology transfer are key ingredients of GE's localisation strategy in Ghana and everywhere it engages in business. "Our localization plan also includes technology collaboration, development of Ghanaian suppliers and investment in human capacity," said Mr. Nelson. Mr. Nelson also disclosed plans to provide Oil and Gas scholarships for Ghanaians, training both locally and internationally at GE's Oil and Gas University in Houston, Texas, Florence, Italy, Aberdeen and Scotland. The scholarship will target students from the Science and Engineering departments. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana Professor Ernest Aryeetey said he was very excited about the scholarship award to support building a stronger human capital base for the Country. He invited other multinational companies in Ghana to extend similar financial assistance to develop the needed human resource through the universities. According to Professor Aryeetey, "human capital remains the most vital resource that any organisation can have and we are glad that GE is placing a great premium on that". Professor Aryeetey said the University of Ghana will continue to create the enabling environment for academic excellence in the institution. GE is the world's leading technology and financial services company, with over $140 billion in annual revenue. In Ghana GE operates in the Power & Water, Oil &Gas and Healthcare businesses and has grown its operations by more than five-fold since 2010. *Source Allafrica]]>