The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), has awarded scholarships to Two hundred Ghanaians to study medicine in the Republic of Cuba.  The offer was in pursuit of GNPC’s education and training strategic pillar in the area of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses, towards building national capacity for development.

Selection Process
The selection of the beneficiaries was done by the GNPC Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (MoFARI) Ministry, Ghana Scholarship Secretariat and the Ministry of Public Health of the Republic of Cuba.  It involved initial screening of 613 applications received, shortlisting of 327 for the next phase, 290 invited for the final interview stage, where the final 200, comprising of 170 undergraduates and 30 postgraduate students, were selected.

Scholarship Package
Speaking at a brief ceremony in Accra Tuesday, where a section of the scholars received their accreditation documents, Dominic Eduah, Executive Director of the GNPC Foundation said GNPC was fully funding the studies. “You would understand the value of this programme best if you considered that seven years from now, the doctor to save your life could be one of these,” Dr. Eduah stated.

The scholarship package includes cost of tuition, accommodation, feeding, medical insurance, book allowance and monthly living expenses.  Both undergraduate and postgraduate beneficiaries would be receiving quarterly stipends to support their upkeep.

Minister of Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, on his part commended GNPC for the support, whilst advising the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors and also study hard to become responsible citizens.  Others at the event were Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, Pedro Luis Despaigne Gonzalez and embassy officials, Mad. Florence Ackonor, Director of American Bureau at MoFARI, some parents, among others.

Departure
Fifty-Four 54 scholars are already in Cuba and have commenced studies, with 64 more expected to join them by close of the week. The beneficiaries are travelling in batches due to flight availability and schedules.