Ghana Commercial Bank has supported the maiden awards ceremony organised by the School of Information Studies, University of Cape Coast to recognise outstanding academic performance among students.
The ceremony, organised by the Department of Information Science, University of Cape Coast, honoured the best male and female students for the 2024/2025 academic year.
Speaking at the event, the Regional Manager of the bank, Anthony Sowah, explained that the initiative forms part of the bank’s broader youth banking agenda aimed at strengthening partnerships with universities.
“We have an agenda, and if you see GCB today, it is in alignment with our agenda. We are very intentional about what we do. We know the direction the future is taking and we know the relevance of the youth in our business,” he said.
Mr. Sowah disclosed that the bank established a dedicated youth banking unit last year to focus on engaging students and young professionals across the country, stating “Last year we created a special unit in the bank that will be in charge of youth banking. So if you see us here, it is not by accident; it is very intentional.”
According to him, the collaboration with the School of Information Studies is part of the bank’s commitment to empower young people beyond traditional banking services.
“What I can assure you is that GCB is here to establish our commitment that goes beyond the provision of traditional banking services. We are focused on creating meaningful opportunities and solutions that will empower young people to grow, innovate and succeed in today’s rapidly evolving digital economy,” he added.
Mr. Sowah described the collaboration as the beginning of a strategic relationship between the bank and the school aimed at supporting students academically and professionally.
“So this is a handshake between the School of Information Science and the bank,” he noted.
He further revealed that the partnership is expected to run for five years and will provide students with career opportunities and industry exposure.
“This is a strategic partnership that has a five-year horizon and I believe if the relationship is deepened, we are going to do much bigger than we are doing today,” he said.
“As part of our youth banking agenda, we are providing career opportunities and industry exposure such as the nurturing of talent and giving you opportunities to have practical experience through internships and other engagements.”
Mr. Sowah also encouraged students to position themselves strategically in technology-driven fields, noting, “We believe that the future is technology driven. Today, youth and specialists who have IT and technology skills are highly sought after. Those of you in cyber security and software development, if you position yourselves very well, you are the next rulers of the world’s economy.”
At the ceremony, two Level 200 students, Kingsley Awuakye Amankwaa and Jessica Adjoa Sersah, were recognized as the best male and female students respectively.
Kingsley Amankwaa Awuakye, who obtained a CGPA of 4.0, and Jessica Adjoa Sersah, who recorded a CGPA of 3.75, each received a cash prize of GH₵2,500 from GCB Bank.
Speaking after receiving the award, Kingsley Amankwaa Awuakye expressed appreciation to the bank and the department for the recognition.
“I feel very honoured to be awarded today. I want to say thank you to GCB for this initiative and to my department as well. I believe this will motivate myself and the rest of my colleagues to perform better and encourage healthy competition among us,” he said.
Jessica Adjoa Sersah also expressed gratitude to the bank and the department for the initiative, stating, “On behalf of our department, we thank GCB for collaborating and announcing this award. We also thank our departmental leadership, staff and colleagues for making this programme successful. We appreciate everyone.”
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Source: Angelina Riley Hayford/ATLFMNEWS
