The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has asked Ghana’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ahmed Ramadan, to institute scholarships and exchange programs for Ghanaian students who wish to have advanced studies in Dubai.

A delegation led by the Union’s Secretary for International Affairs, Pius Baidoo and Secretary for Women’s Development, Ohemaa Bediako paid a courtesy call on the Ambassador following their participation in the ongoing World Majlis Conference at the Expo 2020 in the country.

The exchange programmes, the Union believes, will give Ghanaian students an enriching academic, professional and personal experience as well as provide them with a chance to exchange ideas with their UAE counterparts.

Among other reasons, they seek to make Ghana a tourism destination for foreign students by helping to boost Ghana’s revenue in the area of tourism and business.

During the interaction with the Ambassador, a case was made for collaboration between NUGS and the embassy to allow students from Dubai to visit Ghana for tourism.

Mr Ahmed Ramadan on his part indicated that although there are existing scholarship programs, he will consider the proposals made by the Union to expand them.

“They [UAE] have different types of scholarships, both private and state. For example, some Ghanaian students in Sharjah University enjoy state granted scholarships.”

“For the exchange programme, there is one already between New York University in the UAE and their campus in Ghana; however, the NUGS proposal will seek to expand it,” he assured.

The Ambassador urged persons who visit the country to seek credible information from their diplomatic missions or embassies to avoid being stranded.

Ghanaian students numbering about 50 are currently in Dubai for The World Majlis conference.

The World Expo 2020 which started in October 2021 is expected to end on March 31, 2022. It was initially scheduled to take place between October 20, 2020, and April 10, 2021, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.