The Lebanese Embassy on Thursday awarded scholarship to 16 brilliant students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) in Accra.

The scholarship package included the payment of the fees of beneficiary students and the Students’ Representative Council dues.

Mr Ali Halabi, the Lebanese Ambassador to Ghana, commended the students for taking their studies serious leading to the award of the scholarship.

He said the scholarship was to help invest in the future of the next touch bearers of the fourth estate of the realm, to equip them with the requisite skills and knowledge in telling the Ghanaian and Africa story, to advance the development of the continent.

"Our commitment to supporting the educational sector in the country spurred us to replicate this gesture in other tertiary institutions including the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, as well as other dependents of our fallen heroes in the army, police, prison and immigration services," he said.

Mr Halabi said as part of the scholarship for the GIJ students, the Lebanese community has enrolled them at Alliance Francaise, to enable them to gain appreciable knowledge of the French language.

"Additionally, we secured internship spots at various organizations during the three months’ vacation period, where these students gained hands-on experiences from the world of work," he said.

The Ambassador also commended the Rector of the Institute for his leadership style, saying that his management style has nurtured the cordial relationship between the Lebanese community and the Institute.

Dr Wilberforce Dzisah, Rector, GIJ, expressed his gratitude to the Lebanese community for the scholarship scheme.

He said the sustenance of the scholarship would be based on academic performance and therefore urged the beneficiary students to continue to take their studies seriously.

He also advised the beneficiaries to desist from taking their personal problems to the Embassy, since that was not part of the package.

Dr Dzisah appealed to the Lebanese Embassy to broaden the scholarship scheme to include the staff of the institute.