Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi and the Mastercard Foundation have commemorated 10 years of advancing education and leadership opportunities for bright young Africans.
Since its inception in 2014, the initiative has nurtured over 2,000 scholars from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with a focus on fostering transformational leadership across Africa.
In Ghana and beyond, countless driven young people face limited access to mentorship and resources barriers the program aims to break.
Launched at KNUST in 2014, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program was designed to address these critical gaps and cultivate future changemakers. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Mastercard Foundation at KNUST held a vibrant durbar in Kumasi, highlighting a decade of educational and career achievements across the continent.
KNUST Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, expressed deep appreciation for Mastercard Foundation President and CEO Reeta Roy, commending her vision for youth leadership and educational empowerment in Africa. Prof. Dickson emphasized the transformative reach of the initiatives; “If you end poverty, what can’t you end? This program is doing what Africa needs to be done. Mastercard has brought Africa to KNUST, impacting families, communities, Ghana, and Africa. Mastercard provides for this continent through our institutions, telling stories of possibilities.”
Among the over 2,000 beneficiaries at KNUST, nearly two-thirds are women, with 9% identifying as differently abled, 18% as international students, and 4% as displaced or refugee youth underscoring the program’s deep commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion.
The celebration carried the theme “Celebrating a Decade of Transformation and Impacting Lives.”Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation reiterated the Foundation’s commitment to equipping underrepresented youth with skills in leadership and service.
“The ten-year partnership between Mastercard and KNUST is a testament to a partnership filled with impact, purpose, learning, and trust. KNUST has reached across countries to find brilliant young people from economically marginalized communities, communities that have been left behind. We saw their potential and prepared young people for a life of leadership and service. Over the years, we have witnessed how beneficiaries are focused on delivering impact and knowledge,” she noted.
The anniversary event gathered scholars, alumni, university officials, and institutional partners for a stakeholder dialogue and reflections on the program’s journey. Araba Botwe, Executive Director for Admissions and Special Aid at Ashesi University, lauded the Foundation’s enduring commitment to community impact.
“This incredible milestone of 10 years impacting communities is a testament to outstanding accomplishment. Having walked down this path, we, the scholars’ program directors in Africa, salute the CEO’s tenacity. Indeed, the journey has been challenging but fulfilling,” she remarked.
The celebration featured a campus dialogue dubbed “A Time with Reeta,” where students and faculty engaged in thoughtful conversations with the Mastercard Foundation’s CEO.
Since 2014, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at KNUST has continued to offer full scholarships, leadership development, and entrepreneurial support, transforming lives across Africa.
