The donation, led by the Head of Internal Control, Paa Kwesi Simpson, was made under the team’s Employee Community Initiative, through which employees contribute to community development efforts.

The Foundation received a grinding mill and accessories, a 508-litre freezer and GH¢5,000 in cash to support its immediate needs.

Simpson said the initiative was driven by the team’s desire to contribute to communities beyond its regular professional responsibilities.

He said while the Internal Control team’s core mandate centered on risk management and controls, its members also recognised the importance of responding to social needs within communities.

This initiative reflects our shared commitment to making a meaningful impact in the communities we serve and contributing positively beyond our ‘risk & control’ responsibilities,” he said.

Simpson explained that the team chose to support the Foundation after considering some of the practical needs that could make a difference to its operations and the welfare of the children.

He highlighted that, the items were intended to provide useful, lasting support rather than serve as a one-off gesture, adding that the team was pleased to contribute in an area where its assistance could be put to immediate use.

Receiving the donation, the Founder of the Weep Not Child Foundation, Nana Ama Benewaa I, expressed appreciation to the Stanbic Bank team for the support.

She said the donation had come at an important time for the Foundation, which continues to cater for the needs of children under its care.

Nana Ama Benewaa said the grinding mill, freezer and cash support would help address some of the Foundation’s immediate requirements and ease aspects of its day-to-day operations.

This support has come at a good time for us. The items will be put to good use and will help us respond to some of the needs of the children and the Foundation,” she said.

She thanked the Internal Control team for identifying the Foundation as a beneficiary and for taking steps to provide practical assistance.

She also encouraged the team to sustain its community-focused initiatives, saying continued support from individuals and organizations could help institutions such as the Foundation provide better care for vulnerable children.

Asomaning made this call at Stanbic Bank’s Transaction Banking Client Engagement Forum in Accra, held on the theme “Creating Value Beyond Transaction.” He said companies should expect their financial partners to bring expertise, market insight and practical solutions to the relationship, rather than simply provide routine banking services.

He said the demands facing businesses had changed significantly, requiring banking relationships to evolve with them. “There was a time when banking relationships were defined primarily by transactions. Payments were processed, accounts were maintained, and trade instruments were issued. Necessary functions, certainly, but no longer sufficient in an environment marked by complex supply chains,” he said.

Asomaning said banks could play a more meaningful role by helping companies manage liquidity, improve efficiency, strengthen risk management and identify opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked. “The most valuable banking partner is not simply the institution that processes transactions efficiently. It is the institution that helps clients make better decisions.”

He said businesses needed to combine operational discipline with strategic choices that could protect their competitiveness and create sustainable value, particularly in an environment where market conditions could change quickly.

According to him, this approach should influence how companies assess the value of their relationships with financial institutions. Quoting investor Warren Buffett, Asomaning said, “price is what you pay, value is what you get.”

He explained that the real value of a banking relationship should be reflected in the expertise, connectivity and measurable outcomes that a financial institution brings to its clients.

The true measure of a banking relationship is therefore not the volume of transactions processed, but the value generated through expertise, partnership, and tangible outcomes.”

Asomaning also highlighted the importance of regional connectivity as Ghanaian companies explore opportunities across Africa and beyond.

As a member of Standard Bank Group, Asomaning said Stanbic Bank operates within a network spanning 21 African markets. This footprint, he noted “gives us a unique perspective on the forces shaping trade, investment, and business growth across Africa. It allows us to identify opportunities, anticipate risks, and understand emerging trends, not in isolation, but as part of an increasingly interconnected commercial ecosystem.”

He said the regional network, combined with local market knowledge and cross-border relationships, could help businesses navigate unfamiliar markets and make more informed expansion decisions.

The forum brought together Stanbic Bank clients and business stakeholders to examine changing expectations in Trade finance, Payments, Custody Services, channel solutions and how financial institutions can support companies as they pursue growth in a more interconnected economy.

Kwamina Asomaning, Chief Executive, Stanbic Bank Ghana

The Head of Business Products Solutioning at Stanbic Bank Ghana, Benedict Kwasi Obeng, said businesses must be adequately prepared to understand target markets, identify viable opportunities and meet the requirements of international buyers before attempting to scale across borders.

He was speaking at the Internationalization and Market Access Dialogue 2026, held under the theme, “International Trade: Its Contributions to Accessing Target Markets.”

According to Obeng, the ability of local businesses to participate meaningfully in international trade depends on addressing several challenges simultaneously, including market knowledge, financing, business capability and access to credible buyers.

He said this was the rationale behind the establishment of Trade Connect, Stanbic Bank Ghana’s export and import readiness programme designed to help businesses build the capacity required to trade internationally.

Trade Connect was built to empower businesses to capitalize on new opportunities and, ultimately, to facilitate businesses to trade with the world,” Obeng said.

He explained that the programme goes beyond conventional training by combining practical learning with market access opportunities, financial solutions and business advisory support.

Through the programme, participating businesses receive support around financial instruments, market access and tailored propositions, while businesses can also access advisory services through the Stanbic Incubator.

Obeng said the approach was intended to address some of the practical barrier’s businesses encounter when they seek to move from serving the local market to engaging customers and partners across borders.

For a business to successfully enter an international market, it must first be export ready. That means understanding the market, knowing what buyers require, having the right systems in place and being able to identify and respond to opportunities,” he said.

The programme, he added, provides participating businesses with a pathway to strengthen their operations while gaining exposure to digital markets, peer networks and potential buyers.

He noted that such connections could be particularly important for small and medium-sized enterprises, which often have viable products and services but lack the networks and market intelligence needed to access international opportunities.

Obeng also pointed to Stanbic Bank’s presence across 21 countries as an important resource for businesses seeking to expand their trading relationships across the continent.

We have a presence in 21 countries, and we leverage that network to help our clients navigate opportunities in those markets and make it easier for them to trade across borders,” he said.

He said stronger links between Ghanaian businesses and international markets could create opportunities for companies to diversify their customer base, increase revenues and build more resilient businesses.

However, he stressed that internationalization should be approached as a growth process rather than a one-off transaction.

“Supporting businesses to trade internationally is not only about providing financing. It is about helping them understand the market, build the right capabilities, connect with buyers and have access to the appropriate financial and advisory support,”  Obeng said.

He reaffirmed Stanbic Bank Ghana’s commitment to supporting businesses as they pursue opportunities beyond Ghana, adding that building a stronger pipeline of internationally competitive enterprises would require collaboration among financial institutions, businesses and other stakeholders in the trade ecosystem.

Benedict Kwasi Obeng, Head, Business Products Solutioning, Stanbic Bank Ghana

The latest awards follow a similar batch of 500 scholarships presented last year, bringing the total number awarded across the two years to 1,000.

The student beneficiaries will receive support covering tuition, accommodation, a laptop and a stipend.

Addressing the beneficiaries, the Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Blewett, urged them to apply their knowledge to solve problems and create opportunities for others.

Your talent belongs to you, scholars. That’s what got you here. So will the achievements that you will accomplish,” he said. “Apply your knowledge to solving problems and helping others progress whenever you can.”

He encouraged the students to remain focused, uphold integrity and use technology responsibly. He also urged the teacher beneficiaries to apply the knowledge and skills gained through further training to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

The Bright Scholarship Programme supports students in public universities and teachers seeking to upgrade their professional skills. More than 200 past beneficiaries have graduated with first-class honours.

The scholarship jury urged the awardees to avoid social vices and take responsibility for their academic, emotional and social wellbeing.

Please take care of yourselves holistically, academically, emotionally, socially. Be a complete awardee so that as you do well, we will be happy to celebrate you as well,” the jury said.

Deputy Minister of Education Dr Abas Apaak commended MTN Ghana and its Foundation for complementing government efforts to improve access to quality and inclusive education.

Every scholarship awarded is not only to support one student. It is an investment in the workforce, the leadership and the development our nation needs for tomorrow,” he said.

For some beneficiaries, the scholarship comes after years of personal and financial challenges.

Freeman Agbejenu, a Computer Science student at Ghana Communications Technology University specialising in cybersecurity, said a serious accident in 2020 had challenged him, but he returned to school determined to build a future for himself and his daughter.

I didn’t choose this accident, but I have chosen not to give up on my future,” he said.

Salomey Eze, a Level 300 Health Services Administration student at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, said the scholarship arrived at a critical point in her education after she spent nine years saving towards university while working as a private school teacher.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Nancy Brew, a Level 200 student at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), thanked MTN Ghana for the support and pledged that the recipients would work hard to justify the investment.

We assure MTN Ghana that we will do what is expected of us and make the company proud,” she said.

The Bright Scholarship Programme forms part of MTN Ghana’s corporate social responsibility commitments in health, education and economic empowerment.

The relationship between Ghana and Guinea has been historic, dating back to the days of independence. Our two countries have been friends since then, and this partnership is a continuation of that brotherhood,” he said.

The Prime Minister spoke when JGC leadership, led by Executive Chairman Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, paid a courtesy call on him on Tuesday, November 3, after signing a landmark public-private partnership agreement with the Government of Guinea Conakry.

The agreement aims to establish an integrated, modern municipal waste management system for Conakry, moving the city from an unsustainable linear disposal model toward a circular sanitation economy prioritising waste recovery, recycling and resource utilisation.

Operating locally through Zoomlion Guinea Integrated Waste Solutions Limited (ZGIWSL), the company will work closely with the Ministry of Sanitation, Hydraulics and Hydrocarbons (MAHH) and the National Agency for Sanitation and Public Health (ANASP). Its responsibilities include managing and operating key Zone de Tri et de Transit (ZTT) transfer stations, organising waste collection in major public markets, and overseeing transportation to the Baritodé landfill and future resource-recovery facilities.

Minister Outlines Challenges

Earlier, Guinea’s Minister of Sanitation, Hydraulics and Hydrocarbons, Aboubacar Camara, said Conakry’s sanitation sector had reached a major turning point with the signing of the contract, which he said aligned with the vision of President Mamadi Doumbouya and the orientations of the Prime Minister.

For years, he said, Conakry was cleaned, but waste from Manéah and elsewhere was transported and dumped again in the heart of the city. “We cleaned the city, but afterwards we would gather these piles of trash again in the middle of the city. And that is what motivated the President of the Republic to ask us to close Dar-es-Salam in the first place.”

He explained that the second phase, coordinated by the Prime Minister, was to find solutions to definitively end catastrophic waste management. He said Guinea had worked with Jospong for years, describing the group as operating in 29 countries with enormous experience in waste management, recovery and transformation.

After initial due diligence, Guinean teams travelled to Ghana several times, he said. A month ago, negotiations intensified and after a three-day visit, the parties finalised the contracts binding the Ministry and the communes of Conakry.

Today, we can announce that the question of sanitation at the level of Conakry is meeting a major turning point in a decisive stage, namely the modernisation, the transformation, but also the industrialisation of our waste,” he noted.

For about thirty years, he said, Guinea had not been able to find a definitive solution “and I think that this time, we are on the right track. And it is thanks to the vision of a man but also the coordination and accompaniment of the Prime Minister.”

2,000 to 3,000 Jobs, New Image for Sanitation Work

The Minister thanked Dr. Agyepong, who he said was ready to commit funds for the early establishment of a waste processing and recovery plant. He said the plant will create at least 2,000 to 3,000 jobs and give sanitation a new image.

He noted that most young people currently working in the sector are foreigners, and that society’s view of the profession still leaves much to be desired. “With professionalisation and the valuing of this profession, it will allow many young people who are currently unemployed to say: ‘Thank God, at last we will participate in the construction of our lives and of our country,'” he expressed.

He linked the project to the Simandou 2040 programme initiated by the President, saying its vision is to make the capital clean. “If we have companies capable of providing solutions, but also employing young Guineans, I think that is an opportunity that we must seize and we will seize it,” he noted.

He emphasised that success would depend not only on equipment and technical capacity but also on active community participation, indicating ZGIWSL would work with municipal authorities and the Office of the Prime Minister to implement extensive public education and environmental awareness campaigns, extending to schools, local communes, traditional leadership structures and youth organisations.

African Solution” for African Cities

Dr. Agyepong conveyed fraternal greetings from the President of Ghana and commended President Doumbouya for his vision and commitment to transforming Guinea’s development landscape. He stressed the need for African countries to move beyond traditional financing and operational arrangements that have often failed to deliver sustainable solutions.

For over 30 years in Africa, governments have depended almost exclusively on World Bank and IMF frameworks to solve urban sanitation problems, which has repeatedly proven unsustainable over time,” he said. “What we are bringing to Guinea is a self-sustaining, circular industrial model built on localised African capacity. We are proud to buy into President Doumbouya’s Simandou 2040 vision, turning urban environmental challenges into drivers of economic growth, public safety and job creation.”

He outlined the group’s capacity — operations in 29 countries, an asset base exceeding $2.4 billion, approximately 10,000 employees globally, and a research and technical pool of more than 200 PhD holders specialising in waste engineering and related fields (figures provided by the company). He assured that machinery and equipment deployed in Conakry would be purpose-built to meet local operational requirements rather than standard imports — a principle he described as “exactement à nos propres besoins” (“exactly tailored to our own needs”). He also cited the group’s experience in Ghana and its reported $180 million infrastructure investments in Lagos State, Nigeria, as evidence of its capacity to deliver large-scale environmental infrastructure projects across Africa.

Dar-es-Salam Tragedy Underscores Urgency

The weaknesses in the city’s existing system were brought into sharp focus in August 2025 when torrential rainfall triggered the catastrophic collapse of the main Dar-es-Salam landfill at Gbessia, claiming at least 30 lives. The subsequent closure forced municipal authorities to redirect collected waste to distant disposal sites outside the urban centre, placing additional pressure on transportation and transfer infrastructure and reinforcing the need for a comprehensive intervention capable of restructuring Conakry’s waste management value chain.

Aligning with Simandou 2040

The agreement aligns with Simandou 2040, Guinea’s 15-year national socio-economic development framework championed by President Doumbouya. Anchored on five strategic pillars, the vision prioritises sustainable development, infrastructure modernisation and social inclusion, recognising that the country’s natural resources must be supported by functional, clean and climate-resilient urban infrastructure. Its water and sanitation objectives include expanding sanitation coverage, modernising waste collection systems and improving living conditions across the country’s communes.

Recovering Economic Value

The partnership comes at a critical time for Conakry, one of West Africa’s rapidly expanding capitals. Located on a narrow coastal peninsula along the Atlantic Ocean, the city’s population growth has significantly outpaced municipal sanitation infrastructure.

A major component of the partnership is recovering economic value from Conakry’s waste stream. Characterisation studies indicate household waste contains approximately 46 per cent organic matter, 18 per cent plastics, seven per cent metals, six per cent glass, and six per cent paper and cardboard. Through ZGIWSL’s circular approach, these materials will be systematically separated and recovered for productive use rather than sent directly to landfills, creating opportunities for local industries while reducing waste requiring final disposal.

Under the agricultural component, organic waste will be processed into quality compost for Guinean farmers, expected to improve soil fertility, support agricultural productivity and contribute to food security and agribusiness ambitions under Simandou 2040. Recovered plastics, paper, glass and metals will provide raw materials for domestic recycling facilities and manufacturing enterprises, creating green employment and expanding local SME participation in the sanitation value chain.

In addition to daily collection, transportation and processing, the partnership is expected to address longstanding environmental challenges associated with abandoned and poorly managed dumpsites. Drawing on Zoomlion’s experience rehabilitating degraded sites and converting them into productive public spaces and recreational facilities, the initiative could pave the way for eventual ecological restoration of former disposal locations, including the Gbessia site.

With administrative arrangements, land allocation and legal frameworks being advanced under the supervision of the Prime Minister and the MAHH, the establishment of Zoomlion Guinea Integrated Waste Solutions Limited represents a significant step toward restructuring Conakry’s sanitation system.

With more than 2,500 tonnes of municipal solid waste generated daily, Conakry has historically collected only about 44 to 55 per cent, contributing to refuse accumulation in communities and markets, blocked drainage systems, coastal plastic pollution and open-air burning, with serious public health and environmental implications.