The Citizens’ Coalition, a group of citizens and Public Interest Civil Society Organizations has urged Parliament to suspend its consideration of the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill, 2025, which is currently before the House.
A statement released by the Group on July 17, 2025 said government must engage in stakeholder consultations before the Bill is passed.
The statement stressed that consultations are essential in designing a legal framework that consolidates the fragmented scholarships landscape into a coherent and credible authority that serves the national interest.
The Coalition noted that although it lauds government for its effort to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for scholarships management in Ghana, “there is no known emergency in the management of scholarships that justifies the speedy consideration of this all-important Bill without public consultation.”
According to the Coalition, it acknowledges the need for reforms in the scholarship system but the Bill in its current form does not adequately address the structural weaknesses of the existing scholarships regime.
They claim that the Bill rather remedies the prevailing opacity, nepotism and political interference and risks institutionalizing them.
“We are convinced that the proposed legislation falls short of establishing a transparent, accountable and merit-based system consistent with global best practice in public scholarships management.
“Consequently, genuine reform must begin with broad stakeholder engagement, including students and youth groups, tertiary institutions, civil society organizations and development partners,” the statement stated.
The Coalition says it is aware of the unfortunate situation of about 200 Ghanaian students studying abroad who risk deportation and termination of their programs due to failure to pay tuition fees and other obligations.
However, they argued that whiles the Ministry of Education is working to resolve the matter, it should not be a basis to ignore the thorough stakeholder engagement needed for the Bill.
“It is therefore imperative that Parliament allows sufficient time for meaningful consultations to be undertaken. A law that shapes access to academic and professional opportunity for generations of Ghanaians must not be passed in haste. It must be informed, inclusive and legitimate,” the statement added.
The statement was issued on behalf of the Coalition by Kofi Asare, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kojo Asante, Director of Partnerships and Policy Engagement, Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and Manasseh Azure Awuni, Investigative Journalist.
About Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill 2025
The Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill, 2025 which is currently under consideration by Parliament seeks to establish an authority to provide Regulatory oversight for the Award of scholarship to deserving students and free the scheme from political influence, favouritism and related matters.
When passed, the Scholarship Secretariat will be removed from Office of the President and placed under the Education Ministry for oversight responsibilities.
The Bill is seeking to deal with the nepotism and cronyism associated with awarding scholarships… to award deserving students based on merit and detach it from political influence.
