Some residents of Obuasi have questioned the mode of selecting beneficiaries of the Obuasi Scholarship Scheme which is administered by the Obuasi Municipal Assembly.

They argue that the entire system of selecting scholarship beneficiaries is riddled with corruption and nepotism, describing the process as a “family and friends affair”.

The criticisms were triggered by a revelation by the Municipal Budget Officer, Mr. Isaac Appiah Nsiah that each year the Assembly supported 600 brilliant but needy students at the Senior High School level.

This revelation elicited a flurry of questions, mainly on how these brilliant but needy students are selected.

According to Mr. Appiah Nsiah, each year the Obuasi Municipal Assembly supports 600 brilliant but needy pupils with a portion of its share of mineral royalty.

The Scholarship is administered by the Assembly through a Board appointed by the Assembly. Explaining further, Mr. Appiah Nsiah disclosed that each year assembly members are requested to submit a list of brilliant but needy students in their electoral areas. These pupils then go through a grueling interview session after which they are awarded the scholarship for the duration of their secondary education.

However, at a Stakeholders’ Forum on Mineral Revenue Utilisation organized by Shaft FM under the “Yen Sika, Yen Daakye” project supported by Star Ghana, residents questioned the mode of selection of the beneficiaries.

They accused assembly members of deliberately keeping information about the scholarship from their electorate, and passing on the scholarship opportunity to their “family members and friends”. They called for more transparency in the entire scholarship selection process so that many more residents of the mining town can benefit from the scheme.

Earlier, officials of Adansi North, Adansi South, Amansie Central and Obuasi Municipal Assemblies have explained how they have utilized their share of mineral revenue that come to them.