Otumfuo Educational Fund

Otumfuo Educational Fund is a non-governmental organization established by His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

The organization is based in Kumasi, the administrative and traditional capital of the Ashanti Region and Ashanti Kingdom respectively. It is a thematic area of the mother foundation; Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation. As the first to be established, the Eductional Fund had undertaken several initiatives in improving education in the Ashanti Kingdom and in Ghana as a whole. The organization had project like Information, Communication and Technology (I.C.T) Mobile Learning for Rural Basic School, Mass Distribution of textbooks, Otumfuo Community Reading Challenge, Teachers Awards and Tertiary Scholarship Awards.

Creation

The Otumfuo Educational Fund was established few months after his ascension to the golden stool in 1999. His Royal Majesty, with his vision to fight wars against poverty, illiteracy, injustice and underdevelopment in his Kingdom and in Ghana, decided to invest in education. Having realized that financing education was a major challenge in his domain, the Asantehene instituted the scheme to complement government's efforts to address the problem.

The Educational Fund was launched on May 21, 2000, in London, United Kingdom with the aim of providing financial assistance to needy but brilliant student in the Ashanti. It was to also provide incentive packages to teachers posted to the rural areas, re-equipping schools through the provision of furniture and rehabilitating school buildings in poor conditions.

Rev. Dr Osei Bonsu, the Catholic Bishop of Mampong, Ashanti who served as the first of the organization stated beneficiaries of the fund was not to be only children with Ashanti parentage but also non-Ashantis whose parents live and work in the Ashanti region and those whose parents could traced their ancestry to Ashanti.

A 10-member board of trustees were appointed to oversee the activities of the Education Fund. During the launch in London about 80 million Ghana Cedis was raised to support the fund.

Years later, His Royal Majesty, expanded the organization to cover other thematic areas like Health, Water ans Sanitation, Culture and Heritage and Entrepreneurship. It led the way for the creation of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation.

Purpose

The purpose of the 0tumfuo Education Fund is to;

• Provide scholarships to brilliant but needy students to pursue their education.
• Support education in Ashanti Region and in Ghana as a whole.
• Promote academic excellence and reduce dropout rates
• Empower young people to achieve their full potential.
• Promote literacy and support education in deprived communities.
• Support teacher training and development.
• Provide educational infrastructure and resources to schools.

Source of Funding

The Fund is by the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and his wife Lady Julia. The fund also receive support from external and internal organizations. Donations from individuals help support the fund as well.