The Ghana Scholarship Authority has maintained that scholarships awarded to two minor beneficiaries in the 2025 scholarship cycle were granted in accordance with the Authority’s established policies and selection procedures.
Responding to public criticism over the awards, the Authority said the beneficiaries met all eligibility requirements and rejected claims that the scholarships were improperly granted.
According to the Authority, both beneficiaries are Ghanaian citizens by birth and parentage, satisfying what it described as the primary legal requirement for scholarship consideration.
As part of its response, the Authority pointed to copies of the beneficiaries’ Ghanaian passports, which identify the holders as Ghanaian nationals and are clearly marked “Minor,” confirming that both recipients are children.
“The individuals being referenced are Ghanaians by birth and parentage. The fundamental eligibility requirement for scholarships administered by the Ghana Scholarship Authority is Ghanaian citizenship. That requirement has been satisfied in this case. The attempt to portray them as “Canadians benefiting from Ghanaian scholarships” is therefore deliberately misleading and unsupported by facts.”
It further argued that public discussions surrounding the awards have misrepresented how scholarships are administered in Ghana.
According to the Authority, scholarships are awarded under a three-tier framework comprising financial need, national priority and merit.
“The narrative that scholarships are reserved solely for “needy but brilliant” students is incorrect. The Ghana Scholarship Authority operates a three-tier framework for the award of scholarships:
(a). Financial Need (Needy but Brilliant)
(b). National Priority – for programmes critical to Ghana’s development where specialized expertise is required.
(c). Merit-Based Selection – a competitive pathway for qualified Ghanaian students who meet standardized academic criteria regardless of economic background. It is therefore intellectually dishonest to create the impression that any beneficiary who does not fall within the “needy but brilliant” category is undeserving.”
The Authority explained that for the current scholarship cycle, 5,000 local scholarships have been allocated, with 2,000 specifically reserved for the needy-but-brilliant category through an independent selection committee, while the remaining awards are distributed under the merit and national priority categories.
It also rejected assertions that applicants should be denied scholarships because of their family backgrounds.
“The duty of the Authority is straightforward to determine whether an applicant is Ghanaian and whether the applicant satisfies the established selection criteria,” it stated.
The Authority insisted that it has no legal or administrative basis to reject qualified Ghanaian applicants based on speculation regarding family connections.
