By Hannah Dadzie
The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, joined the growing community of Chevening alumni led by Ebenezer Amankwah to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the UK government’s prestigious scholarship programme.
Since its inception, Chevening has played a pivotal role in nurturing exceptional talent, promoting international collaboration, and fostering leadership among Ghana’s future leaders. The government’s Foreign Secretary, Francis Pym, announced the creation of the programme on February 8, 1983, and it has been 40 years of rewarding excellence, championing education, and creating global change for good.
Ghana was one of the first countries to be part of the first recipients of the Chevening scholarship; hence, the Chevening scholarship scheme is also 40 years in Ghana. Over the past four decades, Chevening has granted opportunities to numerous Ghanaian scholars, enabling them to pursue higher education in the United Kingdom and equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to drive positive change in their communities.
Speaking during the event, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, said that forty years after its launch, Chevening remains one of her most cherished programmes as High Commissioner.
“It is a joyful reminder of the incredible potential that lies in our youth, the transformative power of the UK’s world-class education institutions, and the remarkable success that can be achieved when countries work in partnership programme. This 40th anniversary, we celebrate shows the remarkable journey of some of Ghana’s brightest minds, the positive impact they’ve had on making their societies better, and their journeys towards becoming global leaders,’’ Mrs Thompson said.
President of the Chevening Alumni Association, Ebenezer Amakwah, said the Chevening journey in Ghana has been a unique leadership experiment, adding that they are happy to be celebrating 40 years this year.
“Thanks to the support of the Ghana and UK governments, we shall continue our mandate of transforming lives and creating change in society,’’ Mr Amakwah said.
The celebration also served as a farewell dinner for the 40th cohort of Chevening Scholars. The FCDO, through the British High Commission in Accra, has awarded Chevening scholarships to seventeen (17) scholars from Ghana who are passionate about driving positive change in their countries to study at various UK universities this year. Successful applicants have been sharing their stories through the #ChosenForChevening hashtag on Twitter and Instagram. [Instagram, Twitter, Facebook]. Applications for this year open on September 12.
Chevening Scholarships are the UK Government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), partner organisations, and partner universities. The scholarships support study at UK universities, mostly for one-year taught master’s degrees, for individuals with demonstrable potential to become future leaders, decision-makers, and opinion-formers.
Chevening began in 1983 and has developed into a prestigious international awards scheme. Chevening Scholars come from over 160 countries and territories worldwide, and over the past five years, we have awarded almost 10,000 scholarships. There are over 50,000 Chevening Alumni around the world who comprise an influential and highly regarded global network.
The name ‘Chevening’ comes from Chevening House in Sevenoaks, Kent – currently the joint official residence of the UK’s Foreign Secretary.
