Diageo Scholarships winners plan to have positive impact on Ghana
Release Date 07 February 2011
Two Ghanaian students studying at the University of Reading in England aim to aid the economic and agricultural development of their home country after graduating.
Last year, Lukest Mensah and Christian Crentsil were the first students to be awarded the University's new Diageo Scholarships, which are supported by Diageo plc and the Diageo Foundation. The scholarships provide two students with comprehensive funding to cover both tuition fees and living costs and are worth £23,000 (circa 60,000 Ghanaian Cedis).
This year, Reading is once again offering two talented students the chance to study at one of the world's top 200 Universities via the Diageo Scholarship Scheme. Students resident in Sub-Saharan Africa who plan to study for a Masters degree within the Graduate Institute of International Development and Applied Economics (GIIDAE) at the University of Reading can apply for the next round of scholarships.
Lukest, from Accra, and Christian, from Kumasi, are enjoying the experience and feel their time at Reading will prove to be of enormous benefit to their careers.
Christian is studying for a Masters Degree in Agricultural Development Economics. He said. "I applied to the University of Reading as it offers a multi-cultural environment and state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities, as well as competent and experienced staff. The programme is equipping me with the relevant tools and opportunities to explore key social, economic, environmental and political issues relating to the development of agriculture in developing countries like Ghana."
Lukest, who is studying for a Masters Degree in Development Finance, said: "My first few months at the University of Reading have exceeded my expectations. The community exemplifies a typical modern British cosmopolitan society, rich in cultural diversity and opportunities. I chose a Reading masters degree programme because many employers in Ghana respect its reputation for teaching and research excellence. "
The scholarships complement the work of the Diageo 1 Million Challenge in providing one million Africans with clean drinking water each year until 2015 and the continued work of the Diageo Foundation, both in Africa and throughout the world.
Ian Wright, Corporate Relations Director at Diageo, said: "We are delighted to support Christian and Lukest in their desire to contribute to economic development in Ghana. The Diageo Scholarships were conceived for just this purpose. Ghana is an important market for Diageo and food and water issues are at the heart of the challenges facing our business. The expertise which Christian and Lukest will gain from their time at Reading will stand them in good stead to make an important contribution to prosperity at home."
The University of Reading is truly an international institution. It has been receiving students from abroad for more than 100 years and currently teaches 5,000 students from outside of the UK. It is ranked in the top 200 universities in the world, according to the QS World University Rankings.
Reading's cutting-edge research extends to the continent of Africa. The University is currently leading the world's fight to ensure the sustainability of cocoa production. The crop is one of the most important sources of income for many countries in the humid tropics. For Ghana, where cocoa is grown by smallholder farmers, cocoa accounts for over 40% of total export revenues and two million people are involved either directly or indirectly in its production.
Those wishing to find out more about the Diageo Scholarships and the University of Reading are invited to attend exhibitions organised by the British Council. They will be held on:
11th - 12th February 2011, from 10.00 - 15.30, at the Accra International Conference Centre.
For more information visit www.reading.ac.uk/study-int-meet.aspx
ENDS
Further press information from James Barr, University of Reading press office, +44 (0)118 378 7115, j.w.barr@reading.ac.uk
Notes for Editors:
Any student from Sub-Saharan Africa that applies for a programme in GIIDAE (to PGT only) is eligible and will be selected by their application. There is no separate application process but it could be be helpful to the student to write a statement of interest in the scholarship to include with the application.
The University of Reading is one of the UK's top research-intensive universities. The University is ranked in the top 20 UK higher education institutions in securing research council grants worth nearly £10 million from EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC, AHRC and BBSRC.
Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com.
For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives,visit www.drinkiq.com.