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UBA rewards 2024 NEC winners with $10,000 in scholarship grants
United Bank for Africa Ghana has revealed the winners of its 10th National Essay Competition (NEC) during an awards ceremony held on Monday in Accra.
The top three participants were awarded a total of $10,000 in scholarship grants for their tertiary education anywhere in Africa.
“Out of more than 400 entries submitted nationwide, 12 finalists were selected for their exceptional essays.
The top three winners are Juanita Gobah (Legacy Girls’ College), who secured the grand prize of $5,000 for her outstanding essay. Stephanie Ewurabena Aidoo (Wesley Girls’ High School), awarded $3,000 as the second-place winner and Edmund Elikem McBilly (Accra Academy) got the third prize of $2,000.
The finalists also included: Osei Kianna Agyapomaa (Yaa Asantewaa Girls), Zoe Tetteh-Ashong (Legacy Girls’ College), Yahaya Muslima Nasara (Tamale SHS), Usman Ahmed Bashirudeen Katu (T.I. Ahmadiyya), Alfred Kwaku Dankwa Kyeremeh (Osei Tutu SHS), Kofi Asamoah Asamoah-Okyere (Presbyterian Boys’), Derrick Twumasi Boahene (Presbyterian Boys’ SHS), Suhaila Katari Abdul-Nasir (Aburi Girls’ SHS), Daniella Denteh Ofori (Accra Girls’ SHS).
All the finalists received brand-new laptops, certificate of participation, medals, and branded school bags from the UBA Foundation.
The competition topics were: ‘Discuss the Importance of Environmental Sustainability and Actions Young People Can Take in Combating Climate Change,’ and ‘How Can Agriculture Be Made More Attractive to Young People to Reduce Importation, Create Employment, and Drive Innovation?
The Managing Director/CEO of UBA Ghana, Uzoechina Molokwu, said UBA Group, under the visionary leadership of its chairman, Tony Elumelu, believes that the future of Africa rests in the hands of its youth.
This conviction, he said fuels the bank’s perseverance in empowering the next generation through education and innovative initiatives aimed at bridging the literacy gap across the continent.
Mr Molokwu said the bank has spent over $400,000 over the past 10 years, benefiting 30 winners who are at various levels of education and career and that through this initiative, the bank has produced medical doctors and have one of the winners currently working in the HR department of the bank.
A representative from the Ghana Education Service, Sephina Soku Siaw, commended UBA Ghana for consistently running the competition over the past decade, recognising its vital role in nurturing young talent and fostering a culture of critical thinking.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Executive Committee member and Volta River Authority (VRA) Board Member, Wonder Victor Kutor, has described calls for the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as premature and unjustified.
He argued that there was no evidence to establish that the minister had committed any wrongdoing to warrant such demands.
Speaking on Joy News in Accra on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Mr Kutor questioned what had changed to justify the growing calls for the minister to step down.
He recalled that the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Abu Jinapor, had earlier indicated that the opposition was not accusing Mr Ablakwa of any wrongdoing.
Mr Kutor, therefore, challenged those demanding the minister’s resignation to provide fresh evidence to support their position.
“The call for the Minister to resign is premature, it is untenable. There is no evidence. I mean, what has he done wrong?” he questioned.
He added that documents, including boarding passes, airline receipts and flight manifests relating to the minister’s return journey, had been provided.
Mr Kutor expressed concern that the calls for Mr Ablakwa’s resignation could discourage young politicians from speaking out against corruption and advocating transparency.
According to him, politicians should not be targeted or maligned for demanding accountability, warning that such treatment could create the impression that speaking against corruption could later become a liability when one is appointed to public office.
He maintained that calling for accountability and transparency should not be used as grounds to target public officials without evidence of wrongdoing.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana will host the Africa Festival of Arts, Culture and Creatives (AFESTAC) 2026 alongside Industrial Skills Week Africa (ISWA) 2026 in Accra from December 9 to 12, 2026.
On the back of these programmes, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has called on corporate Ghana, the media and the general public to support the initiative through partnerships, sponsorships and active participation.
The events, supported by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), will bring together stakeholders to celebrate Africa’s rich cultural heritage, strengthen the creative economy, promote industrial skills development and create employment opportunities for young people.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
