Accra: President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to immediately investigate allegations of corruption in the award of government foreign scholarships. This directive follows public claims made by the former CEO of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Owusu Nkansah, that certain current officials are involved in the illegal sale of government scholarships under the Mahama administration.
According to Ghana Web, Nkansah alleged that he knows people, including members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who have purchased some of these scholarships for sums as high as GHS100,000 or more. Nkansah stated, "These are the things Dr Bawumia says he would stop, and so he is bringing digitalisation, which was accepted by the delegates. I would not be a hypocrite to pretend that it doesn't happen, because even with the new NDC government, I know people who have bought a foreign scholarship. The person bought the scholarship and has travelled abroad."
He further noted, "I don't know the exact amount the scholarships are sold for, but some cost up to GHS100,000. Some NPP members are even buying it to travel abroad, I'm telling you." Nkansah emphasized the prevalence of such practices, adding, "What I'm trying to say is that whether the NDC is in power or the NPP, some of these excesses happen. We cannot pretend or think that it doesn't happen. I'm talking about things that have already happened."
Nkansah, however, clarified that he does not know whether the scholarships are being sold through the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), or any other state entity responsible for awarding these scholarships.