Ghana’s Youth Development and Empowerment Minister George Opare Addo has declared the nation’s scholarship system a chaotic “marketplace” lacking structure or fairness.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Opare Addo revealed findings from a parliamentary committee he co-chaired with former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, exposing systemic flaws in award procedures.
“Scholarships were administered based on whom you know, not merit,” stated Opare Addo, referencing a Fourth Estate investigation that uncovered informal negotiations resembling informal market transactions. The minister likened the process to “selling tomatoes” where applicants might arbitrarily “pay ¢10 or ¢20” for consideration.
Key reforms proposed include:
-
Establishing a unified scholarship fund pooling resources from state entities like GNPC and GETFund
-
Creating a central authority to manage awards transparently
-
Implementing Ghana’s first-ever scholarship legislation currently before Parliament
Opare Addo emphasized the historic lack of legal framework since independence: “For 68 years, no legislation guided scholarship administration.” The new bill aims to establish clear eligibility criteria, standardized applications, and predictable timelines – ending what the minister called “a free-for-all system.”
