The Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu Constituency, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has revealed how a bursary established by Ghanaian business magnate and politician Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom was pivotal in enabling him to complete his secondary education at St Augustine’s College.

Speaking during a brief ceremony on Wednesday, September 9, 2025, where he donated GH₵105,000 to cover the fees of 33 members of the Volta Students Association of the University of Ghana, Afenyo-Markin shared his personal struggles with poverty and how Nduom’s intervention changed his life’s trajectory.

Reflecting on his challenging upbringing, Afenyo-Markin recounted the financial difficulties his family faced.

“My dad lost his job at 39 and went into exile. My stepfather, heavily involved in NPP politics, was sacked or demoted and made a watchman at Pomadze Pottery. My mom, a pupil teacher, lost her job. I saw poverty,” he said.

Minority Leader settle fees of 33 Volta students at University of Ghana

He noted that it was the benevolence of friends’ parents who initially helped him through secondary school.

However, in his final year at St Augustine’s College, Afenyo-Markin’s education was nearly derailed due to unpaid fees and the cost of registering for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE).

Afenyo-Markin credited a competitive bursary set up by Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, a distinguished alumnus of St Augustine’s College and founder of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), for rescuing him.

The bursary he noted was designed to reward students who broke Nduom’s academic record, was open to all, regardless of one’s financial background.

“It was competition. It wasn’t something just for a poor but brilliant student. If you could break his record, you benefited,” Afenyo-Markin explained.

The Minority Leader noted that his academic excellence secured the bursary, which covered his final year fees and SSSCE registration, enabling him to complete his secondary education.

“That’s what paid my final year fees and SSSCE registration,” he recalled.

Addressing the 33 beneficiaries of his benevolence, Afenyo-Markin who has over the years risen to a senior lawyer and prominent politician, urged the students to persevere despite hardships.

“Don’t give up. Difficult times will come, but God has many ways of opening doors,” he advised.

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Afenyo-Markin also shared how he worked night shifts at a care home in the UK to fund his studies at Buckingham University, emphasising resilience and determination.

“At UCC, in Casford Hall, some of our colleagues from very difficult homes could only eat once every two days. I saw it with my own eyes, and it was not easy. I found my way to Buckingham University, and in tough times, I had to work. From Buckingham to Brackley Field, there was a time I had no money at all, to pay my fees. I worked at a care home for the elderly. Throughout the night, you’d stay awake taking care of the old ladies, earning seven pounds an hour,” he recalled.

He encouraged the students to take advantage of his support and strive for greatness, assuring them that among them could emerge future MPs, ministers, or presidents.

The Minority Leader expressed pride in helping students from the Volta Region while emphasising his ties to the region as a son of an Ewe man.

The leadership of the Volta Students of the University of Ghana on behalf of the 33 beneficiaries, expressed gratitude to the Minority Leader for his kind gesture.

GA/VPO

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