Share this
MTN LIFTS EDUCATIONAL BURDEN OF 500 GHANAIANS;KEBAB-SELLING MEDICAL STUDENT’S STORY TOUCHES HEARTS
Gilbert Nyaaba Agongo,a Level 400 UDS medical student who sold kebab to finance his education amid financial hardship,secures life-changing scholarship covering tuition, accommodation,laptop and stipend under MTN Ghana Foundation’s 2026/2027 Bright Scholarship Awards.
By:Justice Baffour Awuah/DailyWatchGH.com
A remarkable story of determination and perseverance has emerged after the MTN Ghana Foundation awarded scholarships to 500 students and teachers under its 2026/2027 Bright Scholarship Awards,including a struggling medical student who sold kebab to sustain his education.
Gilbert Nyaaba Agongo,a Level 400 medical student of the University for Development Studies (UDS),resorted to selling kebab after financial difficulties threatened his childhood dream of becoming a medical doctor.
Despite completing senior high school about 10 years ago, Agongo never abandoned his ambition. He eventually gained admission to UDS in 2023 but struggled to meet the financial demands of his medical education.
With no reliable financial support, he approached a kebab seller who offered him work, enabling him to combine his studies with the business to survive.
His challenges extended beyond school fees. He relied on his mobile phone for academic research because he could not afford a laptop and also struggled to secure decent accommodation.
However, his determination has received a major boost through the MTN Ghana Foundation scholarship, which covers tuition and accommodation and provides a laptop and stipend.
Speaking after receiving his scholarship package, Agongo expressed gratitude to the Foundation, describing the intervention as a game-changer in his life.
He disclosed that his motivation for studying medicine was to return to his community, which he said lacked adequate healthcare facilities and was affected by certain traditional beliefs and practices that negatively influenced residents’ health.
He pledged to concentrate fully on his studies and work hard to make his family, Ghana and MTN proud.
500 BENEFICIARIES SELECTED FROM 5,194 APPLICANTS
Addressing the awards ceremony at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Robert Kuzoe,Senior Manager of the MTN Ghana Foundation, disclosed that the Foundation received 5,194 applications for the 2026/2027 awards.
Out of the applicants, 1,200 were shortlisted for interviews, from which 500 beneficiaries, including 14 persons with disabilities, were selected.
The beneficiaries comprise 300 tertiary students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), vocational and technical programmes, as well as 200 teachers undertaking further studies in related fields.
Each beneficiary receives support covering tuition and accommodation, alongside a laptop and stipend.
Mr. Kuzoe said the initiative reflected MTN Ghana’s commitment to ensuring that financial difficulties did not destroy the educational ambitions of talented young people.
He further noted that the programme was particularly significant as MTN Ghana marked its 30th anniversary, describing the scholarship as part of the company’s efforts to give back to society.
1,220 BENEFICIARIES SINCE 2018
Mr. Kuzoe revealed that since the introduction of the Bright Scholarship programme in 2018, a total of 1,220 students had benefited.
He said the beneficiaries had recorded impressive academic achievements, including 17 valedictorians and best graduating students, 299 first-class graduates,47 second-class upper graduates and 16 second-class lower graduates.
He also recounted the success story of a previous beneficiary who, after spending a year at home due to financial difficulties, secured MTN scholarship support to study Pharmacy at UDS and eventually graduated with distinction.
The graduate emerged as the Overall Best Male Graduating Student of the School of Pharmacy and Best Student in Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine.
Mr. Kuzoe encouraged the new beneficiaries to remain focused, uphold integrity and use their education and professional skills to contribute to national development.
MTN REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION
Charles Osei-Akoto, Senior Manager for Regional Network Operations at MTN Ghana, said the scholarship programme demonstrated the company’s commitment to bridging the gap between talent and opportunity.
He urged beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity and allow integrity, empathy and service to guide their professional ambitions.
A member of the scholarship jury, Professor Daniella Delali Sedegah of the University of Environment and Sustainable Studies, commended the MTN Ghana Foundation for its sustained investment in education.
She described the selection process as challenging due to the large number of qualified applicants.
Some parents and guardians also expressed appreciation to the Foundation for supporting students whose academic dreams could otherwise have been frustrated by financial difficulties.
The ceremony brought together representatives of the Ashanti Regional Minister, university registrars, lecturers, scholarship jury members, parents, guardians, beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
For Agongo, the scholarship represents a turning point in a journey marked by sacrifice and determination.
His story reinforces the importance of educational support in ensuring that financial hardship does not stand in the way of talent, ambition and the pursuit of excellence.
