Accra, Aug. 1, GNA - A Scholarship Scheme named after President John Agyekum Kufuor by Exeter College of the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, takes off in October, 2008. Ghanaian students studying at the College for research degrees or Doctor in Philosophy with a bearing towards the public service would be eligible for the award.

According to a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, beneficiaries, to be called "Kufuor Scholars at Exeter College", would be required to return to Ghana to apply their skills to help drive the national development agenda. Mr Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani, Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs, praised the Rector of the College, Ms Frances Cairncross and Mr Ivor Agyeman-Duah, a Ghanaian author, for the initiative to help train the nation's talents. The acceptance for implementation of Mr Agyeman-Duah's strategic proposal to the University, "The Kufuor Biographical Project", led to the Scheme, which would be part of the 700-year-old Clarendon Scholarship operating in the University.

The statement said Mr Mpiani announced that modalities for application by potential beneficiaries would soon be out to enable the College to register its first "Kufuor Scholar" for 2008. President Kufuor matriculated at Exeter College in 1961. He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Exeter is the fourth oldest College at the University of Oxford and has a well-established reputation for its friendly atmosphere and tradition of academic excellence. President Kufuor was made a Fellow, the highest honour of the College, two years ago.