The Director-General of the Ghana Scholarship Authority, Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, has dismissed claims that foreign nationals are benefiting from Ghana’s scholarship scheme, describing the allegations as misleading and politically motivated.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, 12 March 2026, Mr Asafo-Agyei said reports suggesting that certain scholarship beneficiaries are Canadian citizens are false, insisting that the individuals involved are Ghanaians who meet the eligibility requirements of the programme.

“The claim that the beneficiaries in question are Canadian citizens is false. The individuals being referenced are Ghanaians by birth and parentage,” he stated.

According to him, the primary requirement for scholarships administered by the Authority is Ghanaian citizenship, which the beneficiaries in question satisfy.

“The attempt to portray them as ‘Canadians benefiting from Ghanaian scholarships’ is therefore deliberately misleading and unsupported by facts,” he added.

Scholarship categories explained

Mr Asafo-Agyei also clarified that the scholarship scheme is not exclusively reserved for “needy but brilliant” students, explaining that the Authority operates a structured three-tier framework for awarding scholarships.

These include financial need, national priority programmes and merit-based selection.

“The Ghana Scholarship Authority operates a three-tier framework for the award of scholarships: financial need (needy but brilliant), national priority for programmes critical to Ghana’s development, and merit-based selection,” he explained.

He argued that it is therefore inaccurate to suggest that only financially disadvantaged students qualify for scholarships.

“It is therefore intellectually dishonest to create the impression that any beneficiary who does not fall within the ‘needy but brilliant’ category is undeserving,” he said.

5,000 scholarships for the 2026 cycle

Providing details of the current scholarship allocations, the Director-General disclosed that 5,000 scholarships have been earmarked for the 2026 cycle.

Out of that number, 2,000 are reserved specifically for the “needy but brilliant” category and are administered by an independent selection committee.

“For the 2026 scholarship cycle, 5,000 scholarships have been earmarked. Out of this number, 2,000 are specifically reserved for the ‘needy but brilliant’ category,” he stated.

The remaining scholarships, he said, are allocated under the merit and national priority categories in accordance with established guidelines.

No discrimination based on family background

Mr Asafo-Agyei further stressed that the Authority does not discriminate against applicants based on family background, social status or perceived political connections.

“The duty of the Authority is straightforward – to determine whether an applicant is Ghanaian and whether the applicant satisfies the established selection criteria,” he noted.

“Once those criteria are met under the applicable category, the Authority has no legal or administrative basis to deny an applicant simply because of speculation about family connections or background.”

Scholarship law not applicable at the time

Addressing concerns that scholarships should only be awarded for programmes not offered in Ghana, he said critics were relying on provisions from the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill that were not in force at the time the scholarships were granted.

“The argument being advanced relies on provisions from a legislative framework which, at the time the scholarships in question were awarded, had not yet come into force,” he said.

According to him, the bill was passed in November 2025 and assented to in December 2025, making it legally untenable to claim the Authority breached rules that did not exist at the time.

Corruption claims rejected

Mr Asafo-Agyei also rejected claims that scholarships are sold or traded for money, describing such allegations as irresponsible and unsubstantiated.

“The Ghana Scholarship Authority operates a documented and structured application and evaluation system. Allegations of corruption must be backed by credible evidence and presented to the appropriate investigative authorities rather than propagated through speculation,” he stated.

Commitment to transparency

Reaffirming his commitment to protecting the integrity of the Authority, Mr Asafo-Agyei said its operations would continue to be guided by diligence, fairness and professionalism under the government of John Dramani Mahama.

“Let me state unequivocally that, so long as I remain the Director-General of the Ghana Scholarship Authority, neither my integrity nor the well-redeemed reputation of the Authority will be compromised,” he said.

He further stressed that scholarship awards are now based on merit and fairness.

“The days when scholarships were awarded to the politically connected are far behind us,” he stated.

According to him, under the government’s #ResettingGhana agenda, scholarships are awarded to deserving Ghanaians regardless of “familial, ethnic, political or gender background”.

Mr Asafo-Agyei also announced that the Authority will soon publish the remaining lists of scholarship beneficiaries from 2016 to 2024 as part of efforts to enhance transparency and public access to information.