Equity Group’s airlift to global universities has reached 329 scholars with a total scholarship value of Kshs 8.225 billion (USD 82.25 million). 64 of them are from the 2016 airlift and have set off to their respective universities in different parts of the world.
The 64 scholars are part of the 605 scholars earlier selected to join the ELP in 2015, having excelled as scholars in the Wings to Fly Programme in KCSE the previous year. The ELP program has started recording an increase in the number of scholars gaining admission to global university annually with 2015 and 2016 accounting for 129 admissions after benefiting from the MasterCard Global Scholarship fund of US $ 500 million launched in 2014.
Speaking from Equity Centre at a ceremony to see off the class of 2016 scholars Equity Group CEO and Executive Chairman of Equity Group Foundation Dr. James Mwangi, “Our Foundation recognizes the need to support brilliant and needy students through ELP. This programme epitomizes the Tom Mboya academic airlift in the 1960’s that saw the likes of Barack Obama Snr and the late Nobel Laureate Prof. Wangari Maathai, who later impacted our country in social economic development. Indeed, the quote by the then USA Senator, John F. Kennedy, that ‘Education is, in truth, the only key to genuine African independence and progress’ rings true to the Equity Group Foundation’s social programme initiatives.”
Equity Leaders Programme has now supported 3,405 scholars since inception with the number of those studying abroad as of this year, reaching 329 scholars from all over the country. 90% of the ELP Scholars access local public universities while 10% are assisted to gain admission in global leading universities so that they get global experience and exposure.
The Equity Leaders Programme is a transition pre-university programme from the successful Wings To FlySecondary School Scholarship Program for bright gifted but financially challenged children executed by Equity Group in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation with support of USAID, UKAID and Kfw. The Wings To Flysecondary school program has so far benefited 12,377students at a cost of over Kshs 12 billion (US$120 million) of in comprehensive secondary school scholarship that cover their tuition, pocket money, transport, uniform and annual congress. To date 3,400 students have completed their secondary school education while close to 9,000 are still in secondary school.
To date, more than 1,029 beneficiaries are gainfully employed in leadership positions across the world and others pursuing their post-graduate studies. More than 2,376 ELP scholars are still pursuing their undergraduate degrees and will soon be graduating in various disciplines in local and international universities.
The Equity Leaders Programme also offers a paid internship programme at the Bank. The students attend a three-week boot camp run by the alumni of the ELP College Counseling Programme while on summer holidays from their respective universities. The mentoring involves coaching training and preparing scholars to apply for entry examinations to universities of their choice. It also includes inducting and preparing those admitted for college life abroad.
This year, of the 64 ELP scholars set to join global universities, 53 Scholars will be pursuing their undergraduate studies, 8 Scholars will be pursuing their postgraduate studies, 8 Scholars will be pursuing their postgraduate studies and 3 Scholars will be pursuing their post-secondary diploma at the African Leadership Academy. Some of the top schools that they will be joining this year include Princeton, Yale, Amherst, Duke, MIT, University of California Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, University of Toronto, Michigan State University, University of Leeds, Edinburg university, Carnegie Mellon university (in Rwanda) among others.
Some of the leading institutions that have admitted our ELP Scholars for the last six years include:
| Institution | Country | Number of Scholars |
| Harvard University | US | 19 |
| African Leadership Academy | South Africa | 26 |
| Ashesi University | Ghana | 15 |
| University of Toronto | Canada | 15 |
| Yale University | US | 15 |
| University of Pretoria | South Africa | 16 |
| Arizona State University | US | 10 |
| Duke University | US | 11 |
| University of Pennsylvania | US | 11 |
| Cornell University | US | 9 |
| Amherst College | US | 9 |
| Williams College | US | 8 |
| Stanford University | US | 7 |
