Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has promised free university education to the children of all cocoa farmers in Ghana. The move is in the quest to revolutionize higher learning opportunities for the country's most important agricultural families and assure the base of Ghana's agrarian economy.
Dr. Bawumia reiterated that the programme was part of government's general efforts at improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and at promoting education as a tool for attaining sustainable development. "Cocoa farmers are the true heroes of Ghana's economy; their hard work feeds not only our nation but the world. It is time to invest in the future of their children," he said. "We give them knowledge, an element of participation relevantly in the development of this country by giving our children free tertiary education.".
The announcement by the Vice President was in fulfillment of President Nana Akufo-Addo's promise to further open up avenues for education nationwide. Bawumia explained that the policy would cover tuition, accommodation, and other related fees in both public and private universities for eligible students from households engaged in growing the cocoa crop.
This is a project anticipated to greatly relieve the financial burden of cocoa farmers, most of whom can hardly afford their children's higher education. The cocoa industry, one of the major exports and employing over 800,000 farmers, has been plagued with poverty and underdevelopment for decades, despite its critical contribution to Ghana's economy.
Equally, the government has promised to roll out support programs, including scholarships and mentorship, in order to make sure the students from the cocoa-growing regions succeed at the tertiary level. This is a program targeted at long-term investment in human capital, ensuring modernization of the sector by providing the skilled manpower for the future.
Stakeholders have hailed the move, with many hopeful that this will finally address the education gap in rural cocoa-growing communities. He then called upon the private sector and all international partners to support this initiative for its successful implementation.
It is therefore seen as a great step toward better lives of the socio-economic condition for Ghana's cocoa farmers and their families, while on the other hand opening up the next generation to have opportunities for education and advancement in life.
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