New Scholarship Authority will end cronyism, corruption – Education Minister

Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, says the newly approved Ghana Scholarship Authority will eliminate longstanding cronyism and corruption in the award of scholarships.

Presenting the reforms during the education budgetary allocation briefing at the GTEC office in Accra, he said the bill was designed to correct systemic abuses that denied opportunities to deserving students.

“The bill, as I articulated, was to deal with cronyism and corruption associated with the award of scholarships,” he stated.

He explained that once presidential assent is completed, the government will set up the full bureaucracy of the authority, including the appointment of a governing board. According to him, the new framework will strictly limit scholarship access to three eligible categories.

“We expect that only three categories of persons will benefit: brilliant but needy, national development needs in terms of manpower, and where necessary to promote international cooperation,” he said.

The minister stressed that the reformed scheme will not serve privileged individuals. “Other than those categories, I won’t even encourage anyone to go for the scholarship. Yesterday you heard me talking to MPs; it is not meant for Members of Parliament. It is not meant for that category of persons,” he added.

Mr. Iddrisu said the reforms reflect the government’s commitment to fairness and accountability in supporting students who genuinely need assistance or who align with national development priorities.

The minister also said he had told Members of Parliament that the scholarship scheme was not meant for them to take advantage of. In the past some lawmakers were discovered to have benefited from the national scholarship scheme, an occurence that have been roundly condemned.

The announcement formed part of his wider presentation on the 2026 education sector budget, which includes major allocations and policy initiatives aimed at strengthening access, quality, and financial support for Ghanaian learners.