Youth Development and Empowerment Minister has disclosed that the government inherited a staggering GH¢700 million in unpaid scholarship debt.

George Opare Addo described the situation as a “bad, bad, bad mess” that threatens the future of Ghanaian students abroad and the country’s international standing.

Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews, the Minister revealed that the debt burden solely from the Scholarship Secretariat has left the new administration scrambling to rescue stranded students and mend broken agreements with foreign institutions.

“The current bill that I have is over ¢700 million in debt that we have to find money to pay,” he said.

“There is a debt of fees that we have across the world. And so my registrar now has to go around the world and negotiate with schools, and that is what we’ve been undertaking in the last four, five months.”

The pressure to settle the arrears is relentless.

“You keep getting threats all over the world: ‘We are going to sack your students’. So almost every time he’s out there, pleading, renegotiating how much we can afford and how much we can pay,” the Minister explained.

When asked whether the government had the funds to cover the GH¢700 million, the Minister was emphatic that “It involves Ghanaian students; it involves lives. It involves our citizens. And so we must find the money to pay.”

He acknowledged that while the country doesn’t have the full amount in cash, negotiations are ongoing.

“The Chief of Staff has been very helpful. With the Finance Minister and the Chief of Staff, we are working closely to offset the debt… So yes, we will pay, but we have to negotiate.”

Mr Opare Addo admitted that some of the schools have shown understanding. “They know that we are a new government that has come in. We inherited these problems, and so we are aligning and fixing them gradually.”

He also responded to reports of students receiving threats of eviction from their schools. “You can’t blame this government for the mess we inherited. And most of these things have been outstanding for a year or two.”

The Ministry has also begun an audit to get a full picture of the obligations. “A lot of the students have opted out. We held a meeting with some of them in London and gave them some options.”

Although he declined to disclose the options discussed, he revealed a major issue lies with stipends owed to students who have already graduated.

“Somebody might have finished school for two years, and government still owes him or her stipends, but per the law, once you finish, you must come back home. And a lot of them want to remain there.”

He emphasised that a continued stay abroad after graduation without returning violates the terms of the scholarship.

“If I pay your fees, you must come back and help. So, do you want to stay? If you are going to stay there, I’m not going to pay your stipends, because you have done with school already.”

The ongoing audit is expected to reconcile discrepancies in the data.

“Once the audit team finishes all its work, we’ll have a clearer picture. But as of now, the bill we have seated on our tables is more than over ¢700 million.”