Brilliant ‘Galamsey boy’ receives GNPC scholarship to study law at UG

A brilliant ‘galamsey’ boy has been overwhelmed with aid after his West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result went viral on the internet.

Stephen Koomson, 21, will finally be able to pursue his dream of becoming a lawyer after receiving a scholarship from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to study law at the University of Ghana.

Koomson graduated from Mpohor Senior High School in 2021 with 5 As and 3 Bs, but due to financial and economic hardships, he was unable to continue his studies and was compelled to engage in illegal mining [galamsey].

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This was made known by Ameyaw Debrah in a Twitter post shared on Monday, June 12.

The story after going viral, caught the attention of the management of GNPC who have decided to fully fund Koomson’s University education.

See GNPC full statement below.

A future salvaged: GNPC Offers Full Educational Scholarship to Brilliant ‘Galamsey’ Boy.
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From shattered dreams of endless possibilities to finding his hopes restored and aspirations rekindled, the story of Stephen Koomson, the brilliant 21-year-old former student of Mpohor Senior High School in the Western Region who, for financial constraints, resorted to illegal mining (Galamsey) instead of furthering his education, has been granted a full educational scholarship by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to study Law at the University of Ghana.

Koomson, whose plight caught the attention of GNPC when his story went viral on social media, recorded an impressive 5As and 3Bs across various subjects in the 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) but has since had his education curtailed by the lack of support and this, according to him, led to his involvement in small-scale illegal mining (Galamsey).

At a brief meeting with the former Mpohor SHS student and his guardians, the Executive Director of the GNPC Foundation, Dr. Dominic Eduah, described Stephen’s circumstance as an “unfortunate situation deserving immediate attention” and hence, GNPC’s decision to intervene.

“We are enrolling him on the GNPC scholarship immediately to put his dreams of becoming a lawyer back on track and we are just as excited to offer him an opportunity to facilitate this in consonance with the tenets of our Education & Training mandate,” he said.

He added that GNPC, in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders, have set in motion plans to ensure Stephen gains admission into the University of Ghana Law School by the next Academic year.

A visibly elated yet emotional Koomson expressed his profound gratitude to GNPC for acting on his story to ensure the life and future he envisioned as a boy becomes a reality. He assured of his readiness to remain studious and be a worthy ambassador for GNPC.

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