Stanbic Bank Ghana has handed over the second batch of 50 laptops to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in fulfilment of the bank’s commitment to the university’s Support One Needy Student, One Laptop (SONSOL) project. The donation brings the number of laptops given to the school so far to 150.
Speaking at a short ceremony to officially present the laptops to the school on Tuesday May 24, 2022 on the campuses of KNUST, Head of Brands and Marketing at Stanbic Bank, Mawuko Afadzinu highlighted the importance of such interventions for the development of STEM education, especially for girls.
“At Stanbic Bank, we are constantly looking for areas where we can deepen the relationship we already have with KNUST. And we know one of the big projects on the heart of the Vice Chancellor is supporting needy students who have gifted learning capacity and provide them with basic IT support tools. One of the areas Stanbic Bank has been keen in supporting is STEM education, particularly for women. But when we look at the number of female students in STEM, they are abysmal compared to other countries. So, we are hoping that our donation here today will go into the support of STEM education and for women in particular. We hope that this provides a base on which a positive story will be built on,” he said.
Mawuko Afadzinu added that the Bank is looking beyond the donation to include mentorship for the beneficiaries of the SONSOL project. According to him, “We are looking at going beyond giving of laptops, to building a community. So, we are looking at other areas of supporting the beneficiaries along the path of their educational journey, possibly by providing mentorship, linking them up with different networks and seeing where we can get internship opportunities and all the different things that would be levers for them to be able to succeed in their careers. Because without that consistent push, there are just too many blockers in our system, that doesn’t allow them to flourish.”
The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, who received the donation commended Stanbic Bank for their constant support to the school. She said, “I recall when I took over the reins of this great university as the Vice Chancellor, how very warmly the Stanbic family came to our aid. It is heartwarming to know that in this noble duty and calling that we have in terms of grooming the future leaders, not just for Ghana, but even beyond the shores of Ghana, we are never alone. When we knocked on your door, you were very happy to help. We are not surprised that this year too you are here to honour your promise. I guess it’s not just for show and bare promises but Stanbic Bank’s promises are true. And we are very much excited that you decided to partner the leading science and technology, university in Ghana. We are grateful to you and we are super excited indeed to hear about your focus on STEM because you have really touched the nerve of KNUST.”
The SONSOL project is an initiative of the Vice Chancellor of KNUST, which aims at supporting needy student with laptops to help them pursue their university education. Stanbic Bank Ghana, as part of its commitment to make dreams possible-through high impact interventions including education-for the people of Ghana, pledged to donate 200 laptops over a period of 4 years in support of the project.