In 2016, I had just completed my first of a four-year course in the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) when I was notified by the school that I have been selected for the Lebanese Community Scholarship Scheme. This news came as a surprise and at the same time I was full of excitement knowing what this could mean to my education. Being fully aware of the heavy financial burden that my family was due to bear with my university.
A few days later, we were scheduled for an interview with the Lebanese Ambassador to Ghana at the time, H.E. Ali .H. Halabi. It was at the interview that I got to know that I was selected because I was among the top five performing Journalism students in the first year. Also, that, the scholarship will absorb my fees for the rest of my stay on campus. Boy! I couldn’t hide my joy as my face brimmed with smiles and gratitude. Eventually, on 5th October 2016, along with four other colleagues (Tracy, Juliana, Redeemer, and Kabu), we were officially awarded the scholarship. At the event, the ambassador explained the purpose of the scheme as a contribution of the Lebanese Community in Ghana towards the country’s human resource development through the provision of quality education at all levels.
Indeed, this brought a huge relief to my family who now had the freedom to channel the available resources into the care of my other siblings. Interestingly, the new found relationship with the Lebanese Community went beyond the payment of our fees to us becoming sons and daughters of the community. There was constant interaction and check on our welfare. For me, the scholarship did not only provide critical intervention to my academic life but also exposed me to the culture, economic contribution and years long relationship between the Lebanese Community and the nation of Ghana.
As a result, in 2019, I graduated with my first degree in Communication Studies with a First Class. In the same year, the Community again awarded me (along with my other four colleagues) with a fully funded Masters course in the same university. H.E. Maher Kheir, the current Ambassador of Lebanon to Ghana, made the presentation at a short ceremony at the Embassy. I must admit, I was never in the capacity to pursue my Masters, talk of doing it right after my first degree. It is for this I described the intervention of the Lebanese Community as “divine” and a “blessing”. On Friday, May 7, 2021, by the grace of God and the support of the scheme, I graduated with a Distinction in Masters of Arts in Development Communication. Truly, this was a very emotional day for me as I recounted how far I have come into my academic work courtesy the Community in this short space of time.
Interestingly, the impact of the scholarship scheme have been widespread. Since its inception in 2013, over 40 students have been supported by the scheme for both degree and Masters education in GIJ. Some of whom have further being assisted to secure jobs. Also, the scheme has supported over 60 selected law students in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Ghana, some of whom have continued to Makola and called to the bar. Moreover, the Scheme has also provided support towards over 50 martyrs in various security services including the Police, Immigration and Prison Service. Recently, the scheme also added the school of languages of UG to its beneficiaries. All of this support have come despite the massive investment the community have made into the Ghanaian economy and the many job opportunities that have been created.
Like many other beneficiaries, I owe a lot of thanks to the Community and to the leadership of H.E. Ali .H. Halabi, past Ambassador to Ghana, and H.E. Maher Kheir the current Ambassador to Ghana. It is my hope that the scheme will continue into the foreseeable future and importantly, the Lebanese Community in Ghana and its businesses will continue to receive the needed support from the state and Ghanaians at large. This is a community that has proven to be indispensable to the lives of ordinary Ghanaians and the economy of the country. As part of an effort to sustain the scheme, past and present beneficiaries of the scheme have formed the Lebanese Scholarship Alumni Network (LESAN) due to be launched soon.
The writer, Razak Musbau, a graduate of the Ghana Institute of Journalism is a beneficiary of the Lebanese scholarship.