The Registrar of the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, has raised concerns about questionable practices in the management of scholarship funds during the tenure of his predecessor, Dr Kingsley Agyemang.

In an interview on Nhyira FM’s Kuro Yi Mu Nsem, Mr Asafo-Agyei alleged that, in addition to covering tuition and living expenses for students abroad, the Secretariat also extended full financial support to the spouses and children of some beneficiaries, a practice he described as highly problematic.

“What happened at the Secretariat was that when a student was awarded a scholarship, their wife and children were also added as dependents,” he explained.

“The Secretariat paid for their visa processes, air tickets, and even allocated stipends. There are memos with official approval confirming these payments.”

He cited a specific case of a scholarship awarded in January 2022 to Mr Peter Mensah, who pursued an LLM in Law at Brunel University in London.

Documents reviewed by the Secretariat indicated that the package included £17,875 in tuition fees, £16,008 per year in living expenses for Mr Mensah, and £8,160 annually for his spouse, Mrs Gifty Oware Mensah, the former Deputy Director of the National Service Authority.

A letter issued by the Secretariat at the time confirmed that the award covered both the student and his dependents, including tuition, living allowances, and travel costs.

These revelations add to ongoing public concerns about fairness and accountability in the administration of state-sponsored scholarships.

Civil society organisations have long called for reforms to ensure the scheme benefits needy and deserving applicants rather than politically connected individuals.