Alex Asafo-Agyei – Adomonline.com

Gifty Oware’s living expenses was covered under husband’s scholarship – Registrar reveals

Gertrude Okyere — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 13:21:59 +0000

The Registrar of the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, has raised concerns about questionable practices in the management of scholarship funds during the tenure of his predecessor, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang.

In an interview on Nhyira FM’s Kuro Yi Mu Nsem, Mr. Asafo-Agyei alleged that, in addition to covering tuition and living expenses for students abroad, the Secretariat also extended full financial support to the spouses and children of some beneficiaries—a practice he described as highly problematic.

“What happened at the Secretariat was that when a student was awarded a scholarship, their wife and children were also added as dependents,” he explained.

“The Secretariat paid for their visa processes, air tickets, and even allocated stipends. There are memos with official approval confirming these payments.”

He cited a specific case of a scholarship awarded in January 2022 to Mr. Peter Mensah, who pursued an LLM in Law at Brunel University in London.

Documents reviewed by the Secretariat indicated that the package included £17,875 in tuition fees, £16,008 per year in living expenses for Mr. Mensah, and £8,160 annually for his spouse, Mrs. Gifty Oware Mensah, the former Deputy Director of the National Service Authority.

A letter issued by the Secretariat at the time confirmed that the award covered both the student and his dependents, including tuition, living allowances, and travel costs.

These revelations add to ongoing public concerns about fairness and accountability in the administration of state-sponsored scholarships.

Civil society organisations have long called for reforms to ensure the scheme benefits needy and deserving applicants rather than politically connected individuals.

Source: Adomonline

ALSO READ:

Registrar raises concerns over questionable scholarship awards under Akufo-Addo gov’t

Gertrude Okyere — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:48:06 +0000

The Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Alex Asafo-Agyei, has shed light on what he describes as troubling developments in the administration of government scholarships under the previous Akufo-Addo-led administration.

Speaking in an interview on Nhyira FM’s Kurom Yi Mu Nsem, Mr. Asafo-Agyei revealed that some beneficiaries exploited loopholes in the system, including spouses of awardees requesting financial support when they were not the primary recipients of scholarships.

He cited a case where the husband of a beneficiary, who travelled abroad on a spousal scholarship, wrote to the Secretariat requesting funds for his return ticket to Ghana while his wife continued her studies.

“The Secretariat had catered for all their travel costs, yet he wrote to us that we should buy him a ticket back home to attend to a family issue,” Mr. Asafo-Agyei noted.

The Registrar also pointed to questionable spending on short courses, disclosing that one beneficiary received £4,650 for a two-week programme, along with £2,000 in living allowances. “Some of the courses are very funny. There was one described as Developing Future Leaders. Another, Management Development for Executives in 2023, was awarded to one Hilda Afia Aduako Acheampong,” he added.

Mr. Asafo-Agyei suggested that such cases reflected a lack of proper scrutiny in awarding scholarships, stressing the need for reforms to ensure government resources are directed towards programmes that yield genuine benefits for the nation.

ALSO READ:

Security agencies closing in on middlemen who enriched themselves awarding scholarships

Gertrude Okyere — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 19:04:42 +0000

Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, reveals investigations are far advanced to arrest and prosecute persons alleged to have taken bribes for government scholarships.

According to him, some beneficiaries paid up to ten thousand pounds to benefit from the free scholarships under the previous administration.

Security agencies have since taken over investigations as they pick up important leads to aid the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators.

Mr. Asafo-Adjei says auditing of the scheme continues to reveal more damning revelations.

“I have spoken to some students who have admitted to buying and paying money for the scholarship. Some are alleged to have paid ten thousand pounds. Some of the students have volunteered to give evidence as prosecution witnesses,” he said.

Mr. Asafo-Agyei added, “I am also doing an audit of the entire UK scholarship regime”.

We have made some very damning discoveries.

Speaking on Luv FM, the registrar said some fraudulent award letters have been issued even under his tenure.

According to him, he has been able to secure some award letters dated March this year, which don’t have his signature, though he assumed office in January.

“Upon assumption of office, I changed letterheads with some more advanced security features,” he said.

“They didn’t know if they knew, they could have cloned it to legitimize what they were doing,” he added.

The Secretariat has teamed up with the security agencies in readiness to act on information from the public.

According to Mr. Asafo-Agyei, persons who impersonate him to solicit bribes for scholarships should be reported to the appropriate quarters.

“I don’t have any third-party agreement with any individual. Even if the person is my personal assistant, I haven’t assigned him for such dealings. Scholarship is free,” he added.

This, he says, can be reported to the police or the Secretariat via WhatsApp number 0559285646.

“I don’t have any third-party agreement with any individual. Even if the person is my personal assistant, I haven’t assigned him for such dealings. Scholarship is free,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Secretariat has indicated that it has turned its attention towards settling debts owed to institutions in the diaspora.

He says the issues of the stipend will be addressed later once all the debts have been offset.

Source: Nana Yaw Gyimah

ALSO READ:

Scholarship Secretariat boss pays courtesy call on IGP Yohuno [Photos]

Gertrude Okyere — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 08:07:08 +0000

The Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, has paid a working visit to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno.

Mr. Asafo Agyei’s visit on Monday, July 21, 2025, was to formally introduce himself and engage in discussions regarding the allocation of scholarship slots for personnel within the Ghana Police Service.

During their meeting, Mr. Asafo-Agyei acknowledged the need for increased support for police personnel and highlighted the importance of providing educational opportunities for them.

He stressed the necessity of formal support structures to nurture personnel and equip them with essential skills to thrive in their careers.

Mr. Asafo-Agyei reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to ensuring that deserving personnel benefit from scholarship programs to pursue special courses.

He stated that the government recognizes the contributions of the Ghana Police Service and will work towards allocating resources to support personnel pursuing careers in various fields.

For his part, IGP Yohuno expressed appreciation to Mr. Asafo-Agyei for the visit and assured him of the Ghana Police Service’s full support in fulfilling his mandate.

He also welcomed the initiative aimed at extending scholarship opportunities to police personnel, expressing optimism about its successful implementation.

Source: Adomonline.com

ALSO READ:

Scholarship Secretariat boss seeks Asantehene’s blessings and support [Photos]