Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sabah Zita Benson, has revealed that government owes about £5 million in unpaid stipends and tuition to Ghanaian PhD students in the UK.
Speaking on PM Express Business Edition on Joy News on Thursday, she said the debt involves students who have already completed their studies but continue to demand payment under the terms of their award letters.
“We have people who have completed their course, maybe in 2023, but they claim that the award letter promised to give them stipends, and so the government owes them stipends, when they were supposed to have completed in 2023, but they’re still here in the UK asking for stipends,” she said.
She disclosed that the situation is particularly pronounced among PhD candidates, whose total claims now run into millions.
“In fact, the PhD cohort, we owe them about £5 million, which includes tuition and stipends,” she stated.
The High Commissioner pointed to recent tensions, including threats of protest by some of the affected students.
“If you look at the leadership of the PhD students, at least the ones I met, when they threatened to protest last week, 17th April. They have completed the PhD, the leadership that I met, the President, my own good friend, Pansa, he’s completed and defended his thesis,” she said.
According to her, several of the students have already moved on with their professional lives, even as they continue to pursue the outstanding payments.
“His colleagues have completed, but they are waiting for stipends. And some of them have already started working. They are already teaching in universities here, but they are waiting for taxpayers’ money to offset their stipends for them,” she added.
She argued that the situation underscores the need for stricter enforcement of scholarship rules, particularly for beneficiaries who remain abroad after completing their studies.
“That is why I believe Article, Section 31 of the new scholarships act is good because for situations like that, if you decide to stay here and teach, then you have to refund the money that we’ve spent on you,” she stated.
