The Agroproduce Management Services, AMS, has again fuelled the educational aspirations of the children of its farmers by awarding scholarships to the most outstanding.
On August 29, 2025, marking the eighth edition of the AMS Essay Competition, AMSEC, Scholarship Programme, 33 bright young minds were awarded scholarships. This merit-based initiative, themed “Education Over Child Labour,” not only combats exploitation but also fosters academic excellence among the children of cocoa farmers.
Launched eight years ago out of necessity, the programme addresses the harsh reality that many children in farming communities drop out after primary school, succumbing to labour demands due to financial constraints.
“The motivation behind the inception of this programme stems from the fact that many young minds in our farming communities were being forced to abandon their dreams due to financial constraints and the lure of child labour,” AMS said in a statement.
This year, AMS revealed that over 300 students from six Farmer Development Centres—plus Mutengene, where AMS has operated for over a decade—participated. The essay topic centred on good environmental practices, aligning with AMS’s focus on sustainable cocoa production.
“AMS, being a cocoa company, focuses on good agricultural practices, good environmental practices, and good social practices,” explained Ewanoge Christine, the AMS Project Communication Manager. “The essay topic was on good environmental practices. We are promoting the importance of living in a clean environment, and we wanted to inculcate that habit in the children.”
The winners, chosen by an independent panel of academic experts received their prizes in three tiers 11 first-place winners received 100,000 FCFA each; 11 second-place got 80,000 FCFA; 15 third-place winners earned 60,000 FCFA. Beyond cash, each laureate was equipped with a school bag, exercise books, pens, and an umbrella to kick-start the 2025/2026 academic year. Over seven prior editions, AMS has awarded 225 scholarships, impacting over 1,000 participants by preventing dropouts, and curbing child labour.
Tchakam Billy, AMS Project Manager, highlighted the programme’s anti-child labour core: “Within all our projects, we have a component dedicated to the fight against child labour. One of the most important aspects of this fight is remediation.” He added, “This AMS scholarship (AMSEC) is one of the activities we carry out to help farmers understand that the education of their children is key, and nothing should prevent them from educating their children. We help children to dream, to think big, and to see that life is not all about what they see in their immediate rural environment.”
One of the several beneficiaries, Kome Kelvia Bright, beaming with joy, said: “I’m very excited and happy about this scholarship because it will help my parents in a lot of ways. It will reduce the fees and the things they need to buy for me.”
She urged peers: “I’m also happy because I hope other students or people who are trying to give up will not give up now. Education can help them in many ways.” Promising dedication, she said: “I can promise that I’m going to be successful in life. I will always follow the right path.”
To the winners of the scholarship this year, Ewanoge said: “The message we have for these children is that education is very important. Our focus is on combating child labour and promoting education.”
Written By Andrew Nsoseka
