Odebrecht Engineering and Construction International has awarded four outstanding Civil Engineering students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in their first, second, third and final years. The Odebrecht Ghana Engineering Awards was instituted at the College of Engineering in 2014 by the company.

The Odebrecht Engineering Awards scheme is one of the Corporate Social Responsibility activities of the company and one of the ways the company is helping build a quality and professional workforce through educational support interventions.

According to Vanessa Ashun, the HR Responsible at Odebrecht Ghana: “The Odebrecht Ghana Engineering Awards is focused on recognizing, encouraging and motivating university students from KNUST to learn and overcome challenges, and to pursue careers in the engineering field, and is part of the Cooperation Agreement between the two entities, signed in 2014. The Awards is aimed at encouraging excellence and rewarding students with the highest Cumulative Weighted Average (CWA) in the Civil Engineering Department.”

The winners of the Odebrecht Ghana Engineering Awards for 2017 are:

• Year 1: Daniel Mutahwa Katusele

• Year 2: Cornelius Otchere

• Year 3: Constance Efio-Akolly

• Year 4: Basit Issah Alhassan

Cornelius Otchere, a 200-level student who won, recounted: “When I heard about the Awards Scheme, it propelled me to work harder at my studies. Now, that I have won, I will work even harder to keep winning for the next two years. I am very grateful to Odebrecht. The financial grant will also go a long way to help me realize my academic pursuit.”

The Provost of the College of Engineering of KNUST, Prof. Mark Adom-Asamoah thanked Odebrecht for the support and called on students to be more studious and take advantage of opportunities offered by industrial partners such as Odebrecht, to advance their academic pursuit and even career.

Last month, at the Ghana CSR Excellence Awards, GHACEA, Odebrecht Ghana was awarded the Engineering Company of the Year for the second time, for its CSR interventions and projects in education, enhancement of national skilled labour in engineering and construction, and internal CSR (health & safety programmes for staff). The GHACEA is modelled after the European CSR Awards Scheme and organised by the Centre for CSR, West Africa with support from the Association of Ghana Industries, AGI.

Odebrecht has presence in 21 countries, including Ghana. The company has diversified business activities and a decentralized structure and does business in the fields of engineering and construction, industry, and in the development and operation of infrastructure and energy projects, creating integrated and innovative solutions that serve both its clients and communities where it operates.