Ghanaian PhD Students in UK Face Deportation & Debt Amid Unpaid Scholarship Crisis | Urgent Appeals to UK Leaders

Ghanaian PhD Students in UK Face Deportation & Debt Amid Unpaid Scholarship Crisis

A significant number of Ghanaian doctoral students pursuing studies at various UK universities find themselves in a dire predicament, facing potential deportation, eviction from their homes, and accumulating substantial debt. This escalating crisis stems from the Ghanaian government's alleged failure to honor promised scholarship payments for their tuition fees and living expenses. The situation impacts over 100 students across prominent UK institutions, including University College London, Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, and the universities of Nottingham, Bradford, Warwick, Lincoln, and Liverpool.

Urgent Appeals to UK Leaders

The distressed students have collectively petitioned Downing Street and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, imploring them to intervene and persuade the Ghanaian government to settle millions of pounds in outstanding fees and allowances. Prince Komla Bansah, who leads the affected student group, highlighted the severe consequences, revealing that some students have already been deported by the Home Office after their university registrations were revoked due to non-payment. Others have been evicted from their accommodation or forced to take on considerable debt, often relying on food banks for survival.

Ghana's Response and Student Struggles

Ghanaian authorities, through Alex Kwaku Asafo-Agyei, the registrar of the Ghana scholarship secretariat in Accra, acknowledge an inherited debt of approximately £32 million owed to around 110 UK institutions. This debt was uncovered when President John Mahama's new administration took office in January. Asafo-Agyei stated that an audit of past scholarships is ongoing, and new scholarships to the UK have been temporarily halted. He claimed to have visited the UK to establish instalment plans with some universities, though he noted that some institutions subsequently withdrew these agreements. While Asafo-Agyei affirmed that "significant payments" have been made, he declined to disclose the exact amount settled.

Many students report not having received tuition fee payments since early 2024, which has led to barriers preventing them from graduating, submitting their academic work, or accessing vital university facilities. Some have endured more than three years without living support payments, and the government has reportedly failed to renew crucial letters of support for existing scholarship holders. Bansah expressed the students' dismay, pointing out that despite the new government inheriting the problem, it appears to have continued awarding new foreign scholarships while the existing crisis in the UK remains unresolved.

A Broader Pattern of Neglect

This issue is not unique to Ghanaian students in the UK. Earlier this year, Ghanaian students at the University of Memphis in the US reported similar payment delays from the secretariat. Furthermore, students from other nations, such as Nigerian students in 2020 and South African students more recently in Russia, have also experienced significant challenges with delayed or withheld government scholarships, leading to protests and evictions. This recurring pattern underscores a broader systemic challenge within international education funding.