Youth Development and Empowerment Minister George Opare Addo says the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has no business administering scholarships, insisting that the role must be handled by a centralised authority backed by law.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, the Minister explained that a new scholarship bill currently before Parliament seeks to address gaps exposed by investigative work by The Fourth Estate.
“I chair that committee with Haruna Iddrisu as co-chair because he is the Education Minister.
“Currently, the Scholarship Secretariat sits under my ministry, but once the bill is passed, it will move to the Education Ministry, because technically, scholarships are educational issues,” he said.
He noted that the key problem being addressed is the absence of a standardised procedure for awarding scholarships.
“For instance, we did not have a standard procedure for administering scholarships, and so it was about whom you know,” he said.
“From where I sit, while growing up, I knew that scholarships were meant for brilliant but needy students — people who could not afford, or where the state had a need to address a certain challenge.”
He recalled that when Ghana discovered oil, there was a need to train experts to fill critical technical roles.
“So the state would look for very smart, young, dedicated students, sponsor their education, and ensure they return to help fix the problem.”
However, he lamented that this intent has been abused.
“How scholarships have been administered was like selling tomatoes in the market. People would go and say, ‘Ah, let me pay ¢10 or ¢20,’ based on The Fourth Estate’s investigations. So we wanted to address that challenge.”
Mr Opare Addo said the current arrangement — where GNPC, GETFund, and the Scholarship Secretariat all run separate scholarship programs — is unsustainable.
“We needed a scholarship regime where, if GNPC and GETFund have funding, it is pooled into a scholarship fund and managed by one centralised agency.”
He was unequivocal about GNPC’s role: “I don’t think it is even proper for a government agency like GNPC to be administering scholarships when there is an agency or authority mandated by law to do so.”
He added that Ghana has never had a proper scholarship law since independence.
“There was no law on how scholarships are administered. We now need a comprehensive framework so that applicants know the criteria, how to apply, and what to expect.”
On foreign scholarships, he said the bill seeks to limit funding for courses already available in Ghana.
“One of the proposals is that if a program is being taught locally, the state should not fund it abroad. For instance, Business Administration.”
He questioned why any student should be sent abroad for such a program when “the University of Ghana Business School is one of the best in the sub-region.”
When asked to clarify, he said: “That is what we currently have in the bill. Parliament will look at it and decide.”
He warned that failing to support local institutions signals a lack of confidence.
“What it means is that we have no hope, no confidence in our own institutions. If we, as a government, cannot support them to build credibility… even some of the schools Ghanaian students attend abroad, when compared to UG, KNUST, and UCC, raise questions about how serious we are.”
He was also open to funding scholarships for private universities in Ghana.
“Yes, I know some of the things Ashesi University is doing, and if there’s a need to fund students there, we’ll consider it.”
However, he emphasised that cost would be a key factor.
“Cost will definitely be considered. Although Ashesi is not cheap, it runs programs that UG and KNUST do not offer.”
He added that keeping scholarship funds within Ghana makes economic sense.
“If Ashesi has that potential, why should I send a student out of Ghana when Ashesi can deliver? Giving that money to a Ghanaian institution keeps it in the local economy.”
He also cited the challenge of exchange rate fluctuations.
“You see, one of the challenges is our exchange rates,” he noted.
Source: Abubakar Ibrahim
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