CELEBRATIONS  GALORE  AS  TOP-PERFORMING YOUNG KENYAN SCHOLARS   JOIN  EQUITY’S MENTORSHIP AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

A total of five hundred and five  scholars have been admitted by  Equity Group Foundation (EGF) into the twenty sixtieth cohort of Equity Leaders Programme ( ELP). These scholars are from all the  forty seven counties in Kenya.   The cohort which was selected from the best performing students in 2023 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination, Wings to Fly programme  and Elimu scholarship beneficiaries, were onboarded following a comprehensive two-week induction and training programme.  One hundred and four  and  one hundred and eighty six  of these scholars   were Wings to Fly and  Elimu Scholarship beneficiaries respectively,  who scored an A and A minus in KCSE. The remaining two hundred and fifteen  were top national and sub-county students who scored a mean grade of A.

The induction facilitated their interaction with leaders from various industries, including the Equity Group leadership team. It covered  crucial topics including :  leadership, personal growth  and community development. ELP,  a flagship initiative under EGF’s education and leadership development pillar, is committed to empowering academically talented youth. Currently operational in the DRC, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, the programme  focuses on nurturing promising scholars through intensive mentorship and leadership exposure. It  also  aims at  fostering  their personal and professional development besides  encouraging  innovation and promoting   community engagement.

Transformative leadership

Established in 1998, ELP is a robust leadership development initiative designed for students whose performance is exemplary. Its primary goal  is to cultivate a network of transformative leaders who collaborate across borders and sectors, hence  contributing to Africa’s sustainable economic and social progress.

The newly inducted scholars will undertake a six-month paid internship at Equity Bank branches across the country, receiving monthly stipends totaling Kshs. 121.2 million by the end of the internship. To enable the scholars to have a smooth transition to university,  part of the monthly stipend is saved and released to them at the time of joining university. During the internship, the scholars gain practical experience and mentorship across various departments they work in. They continue to receive mentorship and coaching throughout their university studies.

Dr. James Mwangi, Equity Group Managing Director and CEO (fifth left), interacting with scholars during the 2024 Equity Leadership Programme (ELP) pre-university.

Positive change

Speaking  during  the scholars’   commissioning, Dr. James Mwangi, Group Managing Director and CEO of Equity Group Holdings, and Executive Chairman of EGF, encouraged them  to strive and go beyond the ordinary. He emphasized the importance of leveraging their academic success to become catalysts for positive change, starting from their communities and expanding outward. “You are embarking on a shared journey with other talented Kenyans in your age group,” said Dr. Mwangi.  “ This network will prove to be your greatest asset in your career and your life, as it will produce future captains of industry, business leaders, public servants and leaders in other sectors,” he added.

Since its inception, the programme  has supported 23,825 scholars studying in local and global universities.  8,878 scholars  from Kenya, Uganda, DRC and Rwanda have  benefited   from paid internships. Notably, eight hundred and ninety  one  scholars have secured fully funded scholarships at  one hundred and ninety  nine  prestigious universities across  thirty six  countries, including Ivy League institutions like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia  and Cornell universities in the USA.  ELP is  designed to empower academically gifted scholars by facilitating their access to education in universities both locally and globally, while also nurturing their leadership skills.

Entrepreneurship

ELP scholars who pursue medicine and gain the necessary experience have been supported by EGF to establish Equity Afia medical centres, expanding access to affordable, quality healthcare. To date, Equity Afia has successfully launched one hundred and two  facilities nationwide.

To further promote enterprise and provide solutions to various socio-economic challenges facing the continent, EGF has also created a network for ELP alumni in the enterprise and innovations space and has been supporting them to set-up and grow their businesses. Success stories of various ventures reflect EGF’s commitment to fostering a new generation of African entrepreneurs and innovators, proving that investment in education is a powerful tool for continental and global betterment.