Africa-Press – Namibia. RECONNAISSANCE Energy Namibia, the subsidiary of Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica), has awarded scholarships to ten first-year students from Kavango East and Kavango West regions studying in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), at the University of Namibia and Namibia University of Science and Technology.
The ten scholarships are worth N$1,2 million for the first year and cover tuition, accommodation, books, stationery and pocket money. This initiative forms part of the company’s Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) approach to business and is in addition to its obligatory contribution to funding education and training through the Petroleum Training and Education Fund (PetroFund).
The 10 scholarship recipients from villages in the Kavango East and Kavango-West regions, were identified through a collaborative effort between ReconAfrica, the office of the Governors’ Kavango East and Kavango West and the regional education directorates.
“We were looking at students who excelled in their Grade 12 who are from disadvantaged backgrounds and cannot afford to further their studies. Some of the students have scored as high as 50 points in five subjects and we are honoured to contribute to their future,” Reconnaissance Energy Namibia General Manager Robert Mwanachilenga said.
“Working in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions, the learners’ performance – despite their circumstanced – is evidence of their potential to contributing greatly to their community, the STEAM-related industries and Namibia at large,” Mwanachilenga added.
He added that this opportunity does not only change the life of the scholarship recipient but changes the future of the entire family and community. The beneficiaries from Kavango West are Patrick Tenga, Barakias Andreas, Segunda Arthor, Timotheus Kapapu and Christian Kauyu, and Haingura Juliet, Haingura Don Bosco, Paulus Hamutenya, Helelna Festus and Kupembona Richard from Kavango East.
Kavango East Chief Education Officer Lukas Makayi urged the students to work extra hard as this is an opportunity that comes once in a lifetime. “Not everyone had this opportunity, and so we really need you to work hard, double your efforts to graduate, come back to the society and plough back into the community.”
Commending ReconAfrica on the sponsorship programmes, Makayi added that ReconAfrica is really assisting with making Namibia more industrialised. Kavango West Deputy Director of Education Sophia Ferdrieck said the students were selected because of their achievements and what they are capable of. “Those capabilities give us hope. We as a region expect more from them because they have shown us that they are capable,” said Ferdrieck.
ReconAfrica is a Junior Oil and Gas exploration company, currently exploring for hydrocarbons in the Okavango Basin in Kavango East and Kavango West region of Namibia. ReconAfrica to date has drilled two stratigraphic wells and completed a first phase seismic campaign that proved a working petroleum system.
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