The former government left a startling GHC 700 million in unpaid scholarship debt, according to the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo.

His comments follow reports that Ghanaian students in Memphis face a housing eviction deadline of August 9, 2025, if they fail to pay a $3.6 million scholarship debt owed by Ghana’s Scholarship Secretariat.

The eviction threat was formally communicated to students in a circular dated July 14, 2025.

Speaking during an appearance on PM Express on JoyNews, the Minister noted that the current situation is a “bad, bad, bad mess” that threatens the future of Ghanaian students abroad and the country’s international reputation.

“The current bill that I have is over ¢700 million in debt that we have to find money to pay,” he said.

According to him, the debt is not just to a school or a few, but to many across the world. Consequently, for the past few months, his outfit has been visiting the schools to negotiate on behalf of the students.

“There is a debt of fees that we have across the world. And so my registrar now has to go around the world and negotiate with schools, and that is what we’ve been undertaking in the last four, five months.”

The pressure to settle the arrears is relentless. Threats keep coming to the office of the acting Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei. Students face serious eviction and withdrawal threats.

“You keep getting threats all over the world: ‘We are going to sack your students.’ So almost every time he’s out there, pleading, renegotiating how much we can afford and how much we can pay,” the Minister explained.

Given the current state of our economy and the ballooning debt crisis, the Minister was asked whether the government had enough to pay—or was even willing to pay—the GH¢700 million.

In an empathetic response, he said, “It involves Ghanaian students; it involves lives. It involves our citizens. And so we must find the money to pay.”

While admitting that Ghana currently doesn't have this money in cash, he said negotiations are ongoing. He also commended the Chief of Staff for his input while they negotiated the terms of the debt.

“The Chief of Staff has been very helpful. With the Finance Minister and the Chief of Staff, we are working closely to offset the debt… So yes, we will pay, but we have to negotiate.”

Some schools, Mr. Opare said, have shown a positive response, understanding that the debt was inherited from the erstwhile government.

“They know that we are a new government that has come in. We inherited these problems, and so we are aligning and fixing them gradually”, he said.

He also responded to reports of students receiving threats of eviction from their schools. “You can’t blame this government for the mess we inherited. And most of these things have been outstanding for a year or two.”

The Ministry, Mr. Opare said, has also begun an audit to get a full picture of the obligations. While the audit is underway, Mr. Opare revealed that a meeting had been held with a group of students in London, and sadly, some of the affected students have decided to forfeit their stipends in exchange for a further stay abroad to further their education or seek a job.

They had the option of choosing between being paid their stipends and returning to Ghana or letting it go to stay.

“If I pay your fees, you must come back and help. So, do you want to stay? If you are going to stay there, I’m not going to pay your stipend, because you have already finished school. And so, a lot of them said, ‘Okay, let us [the] stipends go.’”

“A lot of the students have opted out. We held a meeting with some of them in London and gave them some options.”

Although he declined to disclose the options discussed, he revealed a major issue lies with stipends owed to students who have already graduated.

“Somebody might have finished school for two years, and the government still owes him or her stipends, but per the law, once you finish, you must come back home. And a lot of them want to remain there.”

He emphasised that a continued stay abroad after graduation without returning violates the terms of the scholarship.

The ongoing audit is expected to reconcile discrepancies in the data.

“Once the audit team finishes all its work, we’ll have a clearer picture. But as of now, the bill we have seated on our tables is more than over ¢700 million.”

Ghanaian students studying abroad and on the government's scholarship over the years have faced similar threats over unpaid debts.

In late 2024, some Ghanaian students studying at the University of Birmingham, UK, were warned to face deportation following the revocation of their student visas.

This was a result of their failure to settle their tuition fees. News of their impending deportation came in a statement from the UK Visas and Immigration.

According to the letter, which was sent to the affected students, they were given the option to leave voluntarily or face legal consequences, including possible detention and prosecution.

“You still have permission until 09 November 2024, and the current conditions of your stay will continue to apply until then. Please ensure that you comply with these conditions.

You now have until 09 November 2024 to either leave the United Kingdom (UK) or make another application to stay here. You do not have a right of appeal or administrative review against the decision to cancel your permission.

If you leave or are already outside the Common Travel Area (the UK, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland) before 9 November 2024, your permission will end immediately, and you will have to make a new application to re-enter the UK.”

Even in schools in Russia and Algeria, Ghanaian students wallow in debt due to unpaid fees by the government of Ghana. They have lived in a foreign land for nearly a year without stipends, and book and health allowances have not been paid for two academic years