By: Rachel Kakraba
The Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Ghana, Rolf Olson, has encouraged Ghanaians seeking opportunities for higher education abroad to consider the United States as a destination of choice. He said US universities offer a wide range of educational opportunities that equips students with knowledge, skills and experience needed to contribute meaningfully to national development.
Mr. Olson was speaking at the opening of EducationUSA Fair in Accra, which brought together more than 30 U.S. colleges and universities. The fair was organized by the US Embassy in Ghana in partnership with EducationUSA whichis the only official U.S. government-sponsored network in 170 countries providing comprehensive, accurate and impartial information on America’s higher education.
EducationUSA Fair
EducationUSA Fair, is a platform where EducationUSA advisers guide prospective applicants on admission processes across hundreds of accredited institutions of higher learning in the United States.
Thousands of participants who were at the two day fair in Accra and Kumasi also received information on tuition, scholarships, student visas and other study opportunities in the US.
Currently, Ghana is the second country in Sub-Saharan Africa with the highest number of students studying in the U.S. It also ranks 14th in the world as a source of international students.
US a welcoming option
Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, Rolf Olson, said American universities compete globally for talented students, encouraging Ghanaians to see the US as a welcoming option for higher learning.
“Every student who studies in the United States and returns home with new skills strengthens US-Ghana partnership”
Mr. Olson, who said he is a beneficiary of a college fair, urged students and families to take full advantage of the fair to ask questions, gather information and start conversations that could shape their future.
“I myself chose my own university in the U.S. many years ago by attending a college fair. It just helps get people thinking about exactly what you might want to study. And then we also have programmes as part of the day here to talk about the process of applying because that’s a very specific thing to do”
Prioritized students visa adjudication
He said Currently, Ghana is the second country in Sub-Saharan Africa with the highest number of students studying in the U.S, adding the country also ranks 14th in the world as a source of international students.
This he said reflects priority the Embassy places on adjudicating students’ visa applications.
“The last academic year that started before COVID hit in 2020, there were approximately 4,000 Ghanaians studying in the United States. The last year that we have data for, which is the 2024-25 school year, there were 12,800, the number more than tripled in a six-year period. That reflects the fact that we have prioritized as much as we can in adjudicating student visa cases”
He added “We strive to adjudicate as many applications as we are able with the resources we have, and we always encourage students to apply for visas as soon as they are able in the context of the college application process”
Mr. Olson, said the fair has a session on consular student visa processing, thereby providing a full package for all interested students and their families.
Appreciation to stakeholders
Mr. Olson, expressed appreciation to all stakeholders particularly participating US colleges and universities and Ghana’s Ministry of Education for their support over the years.
“To the university representatives who traveled here today, thank you for making Ghana a priority. To our Ghanaian government partners, particularly the Ministry of Education, thank you for your continued partnership and your steadfast support of educational exchange between Ghana and the United States”
EducationUSA support
Marilyn Owusu, the Executive Director of ACE Consult and Senior EducationUSA Adviser, said educationUSA has been a vital link in helping prospective applicants better understand study opportunities available in the US and application processes. She said the education fair is an additional support purposely designed to help students interact directly with admissions officers for accurate, comprehensive, direct information for successful applications.
“EducationUSA brings colleges and universities from the US to come in to talk to our students. This fair is purposely to help the students interact directly with admissions officers so that they can get accurate, comprehensive, direct information to help them apply to the schools”
She added “This fair is important for the embassy because at EducationUSA which works directly under the embassy, our role in every country is to help students to be able to understand how the U.S. institutions work, help them to apply to U.S. schools successfully and guide them throughout the application process”
Madam Owusu said the fair, which has been held over the past years, began in Accra and has since expanded to Kumasi. She said EducationUSA Kumasi takes care of people in Kumasi all the way to the northern parts of Ghana while EducationUSA Accra takes care of people in southern Ghana.
She said beyond the fair, EducationUSA has offices in both Accra and Kumasi and encouraged prospective applicants to reach out.
“They should reach out to EducationUSA Accra, which is based at Osu Oxford Street, ACE Consult, we’re on top of the ADB Bank. If you are in Kumasi all the way to the north, you can reach out to ACE Consult, EducationUSA Kumasi. We are located very close to the Kumasi Mall”
EducationUSA Ghana partnership
Director of Pre-Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Nana Baffour Awuah, said Ghana and the United States have had strong partnership in the area of education for yearsandurged Ghanaians to take advantage of such partnership to acquire knowledge for the country’s socio-economic development.
“Whatever programme that they choose should align with their own aspirations, so that they can come back and develop Ghana for all of us to have a nice place to live”
He noted such study opportunities abroad goes a long way in reducing pressure on educational institutions in the country and commended the United States for the cooperation over the years.
Exhibitors share experience
Some participating universities and colleges who spoke with GBCGhanaOnline were optimistic of the enthusiasm demonstrated at the fair.
A representative from Saint Louis University, Missouri, Kelvin Emefa Amudzi, expressed readiness tohelp participants find courses that meet their needs. He said Saint Louis offersvariety of STEM subjects and medical programmes as well.
“We make it easy for students to understand programmes offered and also provide one-on-one support to students to help them through the admission processes”
Adding on “at Saint Louis students can participate in virtual internships as well as competitions, events, career development programmes”
He mentioned an ongoing programme the university currently runs with the Accra Technical University where students complete their second year at Saint Louis University in the US.
Dhairya Gohel, Assistant Director for South Asia, University of Vermont, also described as positive the overwhelming response which the fair has received.
“I’ve seen a mix of interest and a different diversity of students interested in various programmes that we offer. We offer programmes which are renowned in STEM, MBA, public health, environmental sciences and health sciences.
He said choosing the United States as a study destination abroad is a good decision students should deliberately make.
“We have about four thousand plus institutions, which is a mix of community colleges, private and public institutions out there. Apart from that, if a student is interested in various programmes at the same time, I don’t think any other university or any other country offers this, but US has this customization of choosing a major and a minor”
Participants share impression
Speaking to some participants, they expressed appreciation to the US Embassy in Ghana and EducationUSA for the opportunity to access first-hand information on study opportunities in the United States.
For some of them who came without knowing which schools offered their preferred courses or where to begin the application process, the session they said was eye-opening.
Conclusion
For the thousands who showed up at the EducationUSA Fair it was an opportunity to explore higher education options in the United States, access scholarship information and engage directly with representatives of participating institutions.
For many of them, the fair represents more than an opportunity to study abroad, but a testament to the deepening Ghana US relations.
