The Director-General of the Ghana Scholarship Authority, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, has rejected allegations that foreign nationals are benefiting from Ghana’s scholarship programme, insisting that the beneficiaries referenced in recent reports are Ghanaian citizens.
In a Facebook post on March 12, Mr Asafo-Agyei described claims that some beneficiaries are Canadian citizens as false and politically motivated. He explained that the individuals in question are Ghanaians by birth and parentage and therefore meet the core eligibility requirement for the scholarship scheme.
He further clarified that the Ghana Scholarship Authority operates a three-tier system for awarding scholarships: financial need for “needy but brilliant” students, national priority programmes that support Ghana’s development, and merit-based selection. According to him, it is inaccurate to assume that scholarships are only awarded to financially disadvantaged students.
Mr Asafo-Agyei revealed that 5,000 scholarships have been allocated for the 2026 cycle, with 2,000 reserved specifically for the “needy but brilliant” category under an independent selection committee. The remaining scholarships will be awarded under merit and national priority categories.
He also stressed that the Authority does not discriminate against applicants based on family background, social status, or perceived political affiliations, stating that eligibility is determined solely by citizenship and compliance with the programme’s criteria.
Addressing criticisms that scholarships should only fund programmes unavailable in Ghana, Mr Asafo-Agyei noted that the legal provisions cited by critics were part of a scholarship bill that only came into force after the scholarships in question had already been awarded.
He also dismissed claims that scholarships are sold or traded for money, describing such allegations as baseless and urging critics to present credible evidence to investigative authorities.
Reaffirming his commitment to transparency, the Director-General said the Authority will soon publish scholarship beneficiary lists from 2016 to 2024 as part of efforts to strengthen public accountability.