The Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill was passed by Parliament on Thursday, November 13, to help check, manage, and distribute scholarships across the country.

The bill reached its third reading at the prompting of Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, after which Parliament unanimously approved it.

“Honourable Members, the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill 2025 is duly read for the third time and passed,” Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin declared.

In June, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, announced plans to present the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill to Parliament in the weeks ahead.

Speaking at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Distinction Awards on Thursday, June 26, the sector minister stated that the bill would address issues of nepotism and cronyism associated with the awarding of scholarships.

The bill also aims to support the 'scholarship-of-scholarship' undertaken by WAEC. According to the minister, the second leg of the scholarship is to promote pan-Africanism.

"If there are other excellent students in the sub-region who want to learn our culture and for us to learn from their culture, they may also qualify for the president’s awards from the neighboring West African countries," he said.

The minister added that the president has expanded the number of award winners benefiting from the scholarship programme from 3 to 10.

All awardees to be determined by the West African Examinations Council will qualify for President Mahama’s scholarship-for-scholarship.

"So every other year, without any interference to WAEC determination of these best students, 10 of them will receive the president’s pleasure of continued support with full GETFund-sponsored scholarships through the Scholarship Authority yet to be established."

He added that the five best-performing candidates in each programme—science, general arts, business, and visual arts—along with the best female science and math student and the best-performing female from the most deprived community will also receive the award.

The Ghana Education Trust Fund in February this year closed applications for local scholarships for the 2025/26 academic year. All applicants were required to complete their application forms via the GETFund Scholarship Portal.

In a press statement issued on Friday, May 23, GETFund cautioned the public to remain vigilant and watch out for fraudulent individuals posing as GETFund staff who solicit payments under the pretense of awarding scholarships.

Meanwhile, a cloud of anxiety hangs over about 110 Ghanaian PhD students studying in the United Kingdom under the sponsorship of the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat (GSS), following the prolonged non-payment of their tuition fees and stipends for the past four years.

This was revealed in a statement dated November 9 and addressed to Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK, Sabah Zita Benson, by the affected students. According to the statement, several students have already been evicted from their residences, some are being barred from attending classes, while others are facing deportation notices from the UK Home Office.

The cohort indicated that their stipends, ranging between £1,023 and £1,200 per month, have not been paid for several months, leaving many struggling to afford rent, food, and transportation.

“Some of our members are owed as much as 48 months in stipends, meaning they have not received any payment since the start of their PhD programme,” the statement noted.

Adding, “For nearly 10 months, we have had neither the progression review nor the renewal letters from the GSS. This has resulted in our inability to register for this academic year, of which we are already two months into the study year.”

They have called on President John Dramani Mahama and Ghana’s new High Commissioner to the UK, adding, “We are of the firm belief that students should not face the consequences for administrative errors and indiscretions made by public officials.”

In late 2024, some Ghanaian students at the University of Birmingham in the UK were warned of deportation following the revocation of their student visas. Recently, the government announced that debt owed to the University of Memphis (UofM) in the United States (US) had been reduced from $3.6 million to $1.35 million following a recent $1 million payment.

This development came as a relief to Ghanaian students studying at the University of Memphis. However, the University gave the government until October 15 to settle the remaining debt, or else Ghanaian students risked eviction. This disclosure was made by Memphis-based media outlet ABC24 Memphis on Wednesday, August 27.

Ghanaian awardees in Memphis, most of whom are pursuing science, engineering, and business-related courses, faced the threat of eviction from university housing and possible deportation should the government miss the deadline.

In July, the government made a payment of $1.4 million to the school. Speaking to the media, the Registrar of the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, on Wednesday, July 30, reiterated the government’s commitment to settling the outstanding debt owed to the University of Memphis to safeguard the education of Ghanaian students.

“We are on course with the issues regarding the Ghanaian students at the University of Memphis. Ghanaian students will not be deported; I give you that assurance. Because the audit is ongoing, we are not paying all,” he said.

The funds were released swiftly after the University of Memphis declared its intention to revoke the scholarships of Ghanaian students should the government of Ghana miss an August 9 deadline. The affected students appealed for urgent support from the government to avoid returning home and abandoning their studies. The leader of the Ghanaian student cohort, Fredrick Badu-Asamoah, expressed deep frustration over the situation.

“This situation is heartbreaking. We’re not here on personal funds—we’re here representing the Republic of Ghana. We’ve written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ghana Embassy in Washington, and the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, and efforts to reach the Presidency proved futile, and we’ve received no decisive intervention,” he said.