Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has laid before Parliament the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill—a legislative proposal aimed at transforming the country’s scholarship system and eliminating what he described as widespread cronyism and nepotism in the current regime.

Presenting the bill to the House, Mr Iddrisu conceded that the existing structure for awarding government scholarships lacks fairness and transparency, often favouring individuals based on connections rather than merit or genuine need.

The new legislation, he explained, seeks to elevate the Scholarships Secretariat to a full-fledged Authority with broader powers and a renewed mandate to ensure scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit and need.

“The policy underpinning this bill is to deal with nepotism and cronyism associated with the award of scholarships,” he stated. “We want to strengthen the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat into an Authority to administer scholarships meritoriously to deserving Ghanaian students. Need will be a defining value of the Ghana Scholarship Authority if established.”

He noted that the envisioned Authority would focus its efforts on supporting disciplines critical to national development, such as science, mathematics, and education.

“The manpower needs of the country and the aspirations of the country if we are emphasising science, mathematics, education will be the preoccupation of the Scholarship Authority,” Mr Iddrisu said. “Largely, Mr Speaker, [this bill is] to respond to the nation’s desire for us to reward merit, whether in need or academic, so that scholarship goes to those who deserve it meritoriously.”

However, Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, while welcoming the intent of the bill, urged the Minister to consider including provisions for decentralising the administration of scholarships.

He argued that centralisation has often restricted access, especially for students from remote or underserved regions.

“It’s not just about meritocracy,” Mr Annoh-Dompreh said. “The previous government, I recall, I made a call for the Scholarships Secretariat to be decentralised, and the previous NPP government set the tone. We shouldn’t just focus on meritocracy or that aspect. We should also focus on decentralising the Scholarships Secretariat. That, for me, will be the trust and the game changer.”