By: Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
What we covered here
- The high-stakes diplomatic talks between High Commissioner Sabah Zita Benson and the PhD Scholars’ Cohort to avert nationwide protests.
- The dire “academic homelessness” and deportation risks faced by scholars as universities move toward debt collection.
- The broader regional context, comparing the situation in the UK to similar funding struggles in the US, Canada, and Nigeria.
Ghana’s diplomatic mission in the United Kingdom is walking a tightrope between calming frayed nerves and managing a mounting financial crisis. High Commissioner Sabah Zita Benson has issued a plea for patience to doctoral students whose academic futures hang by a thread. The standoff highlights a systemic failure in the disbursement of government-funded scholarships that has now reached a breaking point in early 2026.
High Commission Calls for Calm and Strategic Cooperation
High Commissioner Benson has personally entered the fray to de-escalate tensions. In a significant diplomatic breakthrough on Thursday, January 22, 2026, Benson met with the executives of the PhD Scholars’ Cohort in the United Kingdom. During this meeting, she maintained that the delays are administrative rather than a lack of political will, pointing to the Ministry of Finance as the primary source of the bottleneck.
“They should be patient. I am sure that by the end of this quarter, we should have some of these things resolved,” Benson stated during an interview with JoyNews.
She emphasized her direct involvement in the matter. “I have been following up with the Scholarship Secretariat personally, and when some money is released, we will be able to pay out some of these debts.”
Benson acknowledged the gravity of the situation, calling it a “worry.” She has noted in recent briefings that the current administration inherited a staggering £32 million ($42 million) in scholarship debt, a burden that continues to strain the 2026 budget. “They, once the Ministry of Finance releases their budget in the first quarter, will send us some money so that we will be able to settle some of these debts,” she stated. She further assured the scholars that the government is working to resolve challenges not only for them but for “all scholarship beneficiaries” globally.
Scholars Describe a Policy of Negligence
On the other side of the diplomatic divide, the PhD Scholars’ Cohort paints a much bleaker picture. Students describe a life of “academic homelessness.” They claim the government has ignored their plight while they face eviction and hunger.
The financial shortfall is staggering for students who were promised monthly stipends of between £1,023 (GH₵14,874) and £1,200 (GH₵17,448). Prince Komla Bansah, President of the cohort, expressed deep skepticism regarding the government’s commitment. “Our objective is not to cause any embarrassment to the country that we come from, but there is no seriousness being taken in terms of resolving the matter,” Bansah said.
The human cost is evident. Students have recently taken the extraordinary step of petitioning UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a reprieve on visa cancellations, citing a sovereign funding default. Students report relying on food banks and facing visa terminations. Many UK universities have moved from “letters of comfort” to active debt collection. This shift has left scholars “outside in the cold,” according to Bansah. “I am not sure that there is going to be any reversal in the ultimate decision that they have taken,” he added, referring to the students’ loss of faith in the current system.
A Fragile Truce to Avert Protests
In a show of “cooperation and good faith,” the student executives agreed to High Commissioner Benson’s appeal to suspend their planned two-day nationwide protest. The protest was originally intended to draw attention to the risk of mass withdrawals and deportations. The suspension allows space for the government to finalize and implement what it calls “lasting solutions” within the first quarter of the year.
However, the truce is fragile. Institutions like University College London and Nottingham have reportedly issued final warnings to Ghanaian scholars. The Scholarship Secretariat reportedly owes millions of pounds in arrears, and some students have already been classified as “inactive” by their universities. If the promised funds do not materialize by the end of March, the PhD Cohort warns that the reputational damage to Ghana could become irreversible.
The Strain on Ghana-UK Relations
The crisis has evolved into a significant diplomatic liability, threatening the long-standing educational partnership between Accra and London. For decades, the UK has been the preferred destination for Ghana’s intellectual elite. However, the consistent default on tuition payments is forcing British institutions to reconsider their trust in Ghanaian sovereign guarantees.
Universities are now increasingly reporting students to the UK Home Office for visa curtailment, a move that effectively ends their academic journey. Some students have already been classified as “inactive” by their institutions, effectively halting their research. This trend risks labeling Ghanaian government sponsorship as a high-risk liability. If the financial backlog is not cleared, observers warn that British universities may soon place a moratorium on any applicant backed by the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat.
Echoes Across the Atlantic: The US and Canada
The crisis is not isolated to British soil. In the United States, more than 180 Ghanaian students at the University of Memphis recently reported similar abandonment, with some facing a $2.2 million (GH₵23,829,762) debt gap. However, a recent $1 million (GH₵10,831,710) emergency payment provided temporary relief. In Canada, scholars face a similar “funding limbo,” struggling with high inflation and unpaid stipends.
The primary difference lies in the legal consequences. While UK students face immediate deportation threats due to strict Home Office regulations, students in North America often face “financial holds” that prevent them from registering for classes or accessing healthcare. Both groups share the same psychological trauma of being “stranded ambassadors” for their nation.
Continental Crisis: Lessons from Nigeria and Zimbabwe
Ghana is not the only African nation facing this scholarship paradox. In Nigeria, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, recently had to dismiss claims that students in Morocco were abandoned, citing “fiscal constraints” as the reason for payment delays. Similarly, Zimbabwean students in various foreign missions have reported sleeping in libraries due to unpaid allowances.
These parallels suggest a regional struggle with “over-awarding” scholarships without secured funding. The “African Student Experience” in 2026 is increasingly characterized by high academic potential met with low institutional reliability from home governments.
The Great Debate: To Stay or To Go?
The crisis has sparked a fierce debate within Ghana. Prospective students and parents are now questioning the value of foreign education when the price is potential destitution. The public remains divided on whether the government should continue sending students abroad or invest locally.
“I used to dream of Oxford, but seeing my seniors begging for food in London has changed my mind,” says Fiifi Winful, a final-year student at the University of Ghana. “I would rather study here where I have a roof over my head.”
Conversely, some still believe the risk is worth the reward. “The quality of research facilities abroad cannot be matched here,” argues Amin Abdulai, who is currently applying for a master’s in Canada. “The government must just fix the payment system, not discourage us from going.”
Educationist Dr. Emefa Baeta offers a more radical view. “There is no need traveling abroad to study at this cost to our dignity. We must invest these millions into our own laboratories and lecture halls. Education in Ghana can be the best if we stop exporting our best brains and then starving them.”
Parental and Academic Anxiety
Parents of the stranded scholars are perhaps the most distressed. “We sold land to support his initial travel, thinking the government would handle the rest,” says a parent who chose to remain anonymous. “Now he is being threatened with a court case over rent. It is a national shame.”
High school teacher Samuel Oteng believes the issue is one of priority. “We tell our children to aim high, then we cut the ladder from under them. This is a betrayal of the next generation of Ghanaian intellectuals.”
The High Stakes of Delay
The suspension of the protest buys the government time, but it does not buy the students food or rent. The resolution now rests with the Ministry of Finance. If funds are not released by the end of the first quarter, the fragile truce may collapse. For many students, the wait has already been too long. They are no longer just fighting for a degree. They are fighting for survival in a foreign land. The ultimate cost of this delay may not be measured in cedis or pounds, but in the lost potential of a generation of Ghanaian leaders.
