Nkrumah Education Trust Fund Established

The Nzema Maanle Council has established an educational fund for the Nzema Area of the Western Region. The Chiefs and people of the area initiated the Kwame Nkrumah Education Trust Fund (KNETFUND), to raise 800 billion cedis to be managed by an 11-member Board of Trustees.

Members of the Board include Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Dr Jean Ackah, Chief Executive, ECOBANK, Dr Charles Mensah, Country Director, VALCO, Mr. Frank Buah, a private businessman and Nana Kainyah, Head of the Nzema Community in Kumasi and Mr. Ekow Awoonor, legal practitioner.

The others are Mr. Frank Ocran of the State Enterprises Commission, Madam Charlotte Kesson, legal practitioner, Dr Sazrar Opata, Director of the Institute of Management Studies, Dr A. M. Quaicoe, medical practitioner and the Reverend Ama Afo Blay, Director General of the Ghana Education Service.

Awulae Annor Adjaye III, Omanhene of Western Nzema, announced this at a meeting of the Chiefs and Queenmothers from the seven Traditional Areas of the Council attended by the MP for Evalue Gwira, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Nzema East and other personalities in Accra on Saturday.

The meeting discussed the launching of the Fund next September at Nkroful, Dr Nkrumah's birthplace. He said the Fund in honour of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, First President of Ghana, was to assist brilliant but needy pupils and students and to complement government's efforts to make education accessible in the area.

Part of the proceeds from the Fund, which would be invested in income generating ventures, would also be used for incentive packages to attract and retain teachers in the area. Awulae Adjaye commended Nzemas outside the area for the efforts they were making in educating their children, even to the tertiary level but noted with regret that "back home there is low enrolment of school children and school dropout rate is also high and performance at the Basic Education Certificate Examination rather low".

He said education should be considered a top priority since the main means of economic sustenance, had been attacked by the Saint Paul Wilt disease, which was destroying coconut plantations. "Sound education is the only heritage we can bequeath our children," he declared.

Mr. Kojo Armah, District Chief Executive for Nzema East, commended the people for the "impressive attendance" and called on Nzema citizens, to put politics aside and support the Fund to ensure education in the area.

Mrs. Edith Hazel, MP for Evalue Gwira, expressed the hope that the establishment of the FUND was going to the development of education in the area. She commended the Chiefs and people for the initiative and called for special efforts to help raise the level of girl-child education.

Awulae Angama Tu Agyan II, Omanhene of the Gwira Traditional Area, chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Professor Enu Kwesi, University of Ghana.