UBA rewards 2024 NEC winners with $10,000 in scholarship grants

 United Bank for Africa Ghana has revealed the winners of its 10th National Essay Competition (NEC) during an awards ceremony held on Monday in Accra.

The top three participants were awarded a total of $10,000 in scholar­ship grants for their tertiary education anywhere in Africa.

“Out of more than 400 entries sub­mitted nationwide, 12 finalists were selected for their exceptional essays.

The top three winners are Juanita Gobah (Legacy Girls’ College), who secured the grand prize of $5,000 for her outstanding essay. Stephanie Ewurabena Aidoo (Wesley Girls’ High School), awarded $3,000 as the sec­ond-place winner and Edmund Elikem McBilly (Accra Academy) got the third prize of $2,000.

The finalists also included: Osei Kianna Agyapomaa (Yaa Asantewaa Girls), Zoe Tetteh-Ashong (Legacy Girls’ College), Yahaya Muslima Nasara (Tamale SHS), Usman Ahmed Bashiru­deen Katu (T.I. Ahmadiyya), Alfred Kwaku Dankwa Kyeremeh (Osei Tutu SHS), Kofi Asamoah Asamoah-Okyere (Presbyterian Boys’), Derrick Twumasi Boahene (Presbyterian Boys’ SHS), Suhaila Katari Abdul-Nasir (Aburi Girls’ SHS), Daniella Denteh Ofori (Accra Girls’ SHS).

All the finalists received brand-new laptops, certificate of participation, medals, and branded school bags from the UBA Foundation.

The competition topics were: ‘Dis­cuss the Importance of Environmen­tal Sustainability and Actions Young People Can Take in Combating Climate Change,’ and ‘How Can Agriculture Be Made More Attractive to Young People to Reduce Importation, Create Em­ployment, and Drive Innovation?

The Managing Director/CEO of UBA Ghana, Uzoechina Molokwu, said UBA Group, under the visionary leadership of its chairman, Tony Elumelu, be­lieves that the future of Africa rests in the hands of its youth.

This conviction, he said fuels the bank’s perseverance in empowering the next generation through education and innovative initiatives aimed at bridging the literacy gap across the continent.

Mr Molokwu said the bank has spent over $400,000 over the past 10 years, benefiting 30 winners who are at various levels of education and career and that through this initiative, the bank has produced medical doctors and have one of the winners currently working in the HR department of the bank.

A representative from the Ghana Education Service, Sephina Soku Siaw, commended UBA Ghana for consistent­ly running the competition over the past decade, recognising its vital role in nurturing young talent and fostering a culture of critical thinking.

 By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu