The Ghana Scholarships Secretariat (GSS) has announced that Interviews for 2025/2026 Commonwealth Applicants will take place today Monday, 8 December 2025 and end tomorrow Tuesday, 9 December 2025.

According to a letter signed by the registrar of scholarships, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, the interview starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Conference Room of the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat.

"The Ghana Scholarship’s Secretariat (GSS) wishes to inform all applicants of the review of applications for the Commonwealth Scholarship tenable in the United Kingdom for 2025/2026 Academic year and is in the process of inviting applicants to attend an interview which will be a crucial step in assessing the suitability of applicants for the scholarship. The interview is scheduled for Monday 8th & Tuesday 9th December, 2025 at 9.30 a.m. at the Conference Room of the Secretariat," the letter read.

The letter also urged applicants who applied online but failed to submit hard copies of their applications to the secretariat to come along with the documents and other relevant academic certificates as indicated in "our earlier advertisement in the national daily (Ghanaian Times)."

It added that all services offered by the Secretariat are free, urging applicants to beware of fraudsters.

A public disagreement has emerged between the former and current leadership of the Scholarships Secretariat over the true state of debts owed to foreign universities, with each side presenting conflicting accounts of what was inherited, accumulated, and settled.

Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sabah Zita Benson, challenged statements made by former Registrar of the Scholarships Secretariat, Kingsley Agyemang, who denied ever leaving students stranded during his tenure despite acknowledging that he inherited debt.

Mr Agyemang dismissed claims that he created a £32 million liability as misleading and politically motivated. He argued that he inherited GH¢230 million (about $54 million) in outstanding payments but managed the situation without any student being sent home.

“Scholarship debt is continual and moves according to the academic year… This is not new,” he stated.

Responding in a Facebook post on December 4, 2025, Ghana’s UK High Commissioner insisted that the Abuakwa South MP left behind a £35 million debt, adding that the current administration has already cleared £3 million of that amount. She said some institutions have been awaiting payments since 2021.

She further challenged Agyemang to provide proof that all fees were paid and that the students he sponsored were never stranded.

Sabah Zita Benson cited Loughborough University as one of the affected institutions, noting that nearly £500,000 is owed for 17 students.

“We owe Loughborough University almost half a million pounds from 2022 for just 17 students. He should explain to them why they have not been paid since 2022, even as he continued sending students there,” she said, stressing that students were directly affected by these delays.

She vowed not to stay silent on the issue, adding that accountability must be ensured so students do not bear the consequences of administrative lapses.

“We will not keep quiet while students suffer because you were reckless with your job,” she added.

Madam Benson deleted the Facebook post shortly after it gained traction, and it remains unclear why it was taken down.

In January this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had secured scholarships for Ghanaians interested in pursuing short training courses and university education in different fields through a collaboration with some partner countries.

The Ministry, in a statement shared on its official platform X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, September 30, noted that all interested applicants could access the scholarships via the Ministry’s official website. Other opportunities shall also be shared on the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat’s platform for access.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform the general public that, through its diplomatic engagements, scholarships for short-term capacity-building training programmes and for tertiary education covering various fields of study are available to the Republic of Ghana for the benefit of its citizenry."

"The links for these capacity-building training programmes were uploaded on the Ministry's website to make them more accessible to interested individuals. The Ministry also transmitted scholarships received from partner countries to the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, to be awarded to qualified candidates,” the statement read.

It added that “Interested persons are encouraged to either visit the Ministry's website to apply for the available training programmes in accordance with published guidelines or contact the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat for available scholarships. Inquiries can also be sent by email to ipa@mfa.gov.gh”

The Ablakwa-led Ministry warned the public against engaging people that shall pose as middlemen to grant access to the said programmes. The statement highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring equal and quality education for the public.

Ghana was owing one billion cedis in scholarship commitments to the United Kingdom, according to the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Kwaku Asafo Agyei.

He made this known in an exclusive interview with Nana Kwadwo Jantuah on Nhyira FM’s Morning show, stating that deep concerns are being raised over the disappearance of Crown Agency in the UK, which previously managed short courses for Ghanaian beneficiaries.

“Ghana currently owes over one billion cedis in scholarships in the UK. This has to be paid to allow beneficiaries to access their tuition,” he stated. “The Crown Agency in the UK, which was responsible for organising short courses for beneficiaries, has disappeared.”

Mr Safo said that, according to an audit report, the previous government administration prioritised funding for short courses while neglecting regular academic programs, a practice that undermined the Secretariat’s core mandate.

“I called for an audit into suspected scandals at the Secretariat. The report shows that the previous administration prioritised paying for short courses while avoiding regular academic programs,” he indicated.

He stressed that the Secretariat had no responsibility to cover expenses for dependents who travel with beneficiaries. Yet, he claimed his predecessor unlawfully extended sponsorship to these dependents and even provided them with monthly stipends, calling it a clear misuse of office.

“The National Scholarship Secretariat is not responsible for the cost of any dependent who accompanies a beneficiary. However, my predecessors paid billions of cedis to sponsor beneficiaries, which is an unnecessary cost to the state,” he said.

Mr Asafo Agyei further revealed that certain appointees in President Akufo-Addo’s administration were granted authority letters for 10-year visas, even though the short courses they were attending lasted barely two weeks.