The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST) has honoured Ms. Reeta Roy, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mastercard Foundation, with the degree of Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) Honoris Causa.
Chancellor, Council and Management awarded Ms. Roy the Honorary Doctorate at the climax of the 52nd Congregation ceremony which saw the first batch of 45 pioneer students of the fully funded Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program graduate as well as the pioneer batch of 142 Doctor of Pharmacy students after a 6-year training and other graduands at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in all the Colleges of the University.
Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso, Vice-Chancellor, in his address stated that it is through the instrumentality of Ms. Roy that, more than 500 deprived students of this University have been given comprehensive scholarships covering their academic facility user fees, residential facility user fees and a monthly stipend. He thanked the Mastercard Foundation for their support to needy students at KNUST.
In all a total of 6,528 graduated at this year’s Congregation ceremony. Out of this number, 5,848 had undergraduate degrees conferred on them while 680 received graduate degrees. Sixty-one (61) candidates were awarded PhD degrees.
In a citation, Ms. Reeta Roy was honoured for her cause to improving the conditions of people living in poverty. The citation read “Your Foundation has committed over 2 billion US Dollars to education, skills training and other financial inclusion programmes for the poor and vulnerable in society so that they can improve their lives and the circumstances of their families and communities”.
“At KNUST your Foundation has benefited over 500 students. Without your intervention the lives of many promising young men and women, would have remained bleak. For your firm belief in this cause you are often found in the field working directly with the people that the Foundation serves”, it continued.
Ms. Reeta Roy thanked management for the honour and advised the MasterCard Scholars to also give back to society and to help others in need having benefited from such an opportunity.