MTN Ghana Foundation inaugurates GHS2.2million 100-seater robotics centre at Mamfe Methodist Girls SHS
The MTN Ghana Foundation has inaugurated a 100-seater capacity robotics and ICT laboratory at Mamfe Methodist Girls Senior High School (MEGHIS) in the Eastern region.
This state-of-the-art facility completed at a cost of GHS2,280,489, officially began on December 14, 2022.
The fully furnished centre was handed over for use by the school and surrounding schools on Wednesday, March 27.
The outgoing CEO of MTN Ghana, Mr. Selorm Adadevoh noted that “the MTN Ghana Foundation's decision to build this robotics centre for the school as part of MTN’s 25th-anniversary celebrations was motivated by the unprecedented accomplishments of the students of Mamfe Methodist Girls Senior High School in STEM and robotics.”
“Having been crowned to title champions of the world robotic competition, surpassing 5000 teams worldwide. You have challenged the widely held notion that STEM is exclusively for boys. These successes have demonstrated that girls can equally excel in STEM with the appropriate guidance, training and of course environment,” added the new Chief Commercial Officer of MTN Group.
In his speech, Professor Franklyn Manu, Board Chairman of the MTN Ghana Foundation, emphasized the importance of the school adopting a good maintenance culture to ensure the longevity of the facility.
The centre is equipped with partitions for robotics training and practice and a research room with computers for teachers and students, robotics equipment, furniture, and internet access.
It is expected to serve as a training and learning hub for young people to explore experiment and innovate through hands-on experience.
Students will have the opportunity to explore building and inventing through various challenges using tools like Lego and Rev robots.
They will also engage in brainstorming designing and building activities using 3D printer making—aimed at enhancing advanced design skills and adding an extra dimension to stem projects.
Additionally, coding activities and Artificial Intelligence research will be facilitated in the Research Room.
In order not to lose out on the above-listed enormous benefits of the facility, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Education Minister, urged the students to make “full use of it.”
“This... is in fulfillment with our mission and vision of the school, which we have crafted into our theme for the 40-year anniversary. Which is “Transforming the girls' education through the Wesleyan discipline in a digital age”.
“We say that with MTN support MEGHIS is ready for the future,” said Madam Winifred Siebu Arthur, Headmistress at MEGHIS during her welcome address, expressing gratitude to the CSR arm of the telco giant.
Mamfehene Osabarima Nana Ansah Sasraku—the Kyidomhene of the Akuapem traditional, made a call to the MTN Ghana Foundation to help round up its benevolence by providing solar panel for the facility.
This will help reduce the over-dependence on the national grid electricity, which comes with huge costs, the revered king explained.
“This is far well-equipped than our old e-learning centre…it will help us stay ahead in competitions. It will also help us learn more and be in touch with 21st-century technologies,” Maame Akua Nkrumah, PRO for the MEGHIS robotic club expressed with excitement.
The MTN Ghana Foundation was established in 2007 as a single-purpose vehicle to drive all MTN's CSR initiatives in the country.
The Foundation currently has three focus areas – Health, Education and Economic Empowerment.