Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sabah Zita Benson, has assured Ghanaian PhD students in the UK that the government is actively addressing long-standing delays in the payment of their tuition fees and stipends.
The assurance came during a meeting with executives of the PhD Scholars’ Cohort in the United Kingdom, following concerns over unpaid scholarship obligations that had prompted students to plan a two-day protest.
The students warned that the protest could cause “huge embarrassment” for Ghana if the issues were not resolved promptly. They highlighted prolonged delays in funding, despite being fully sponsored by the Government of Ghana, with monthly stipends ranging from £1,023 to £1,200. Some beneficiaries, they noted, have gone months—and in some cases years—without receiving financial support.
The scholars further stated that these delays have led to increased withdrawals from academic programs, with several students facing hunger, homelessness, and mental distress. Others have been classified as inactive by their universities due to unpaid fees.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, January 22, 2026, High Commissioner Benson acknowledged the students’ concerns and reassured them that the government is working to resolve the challenges not only for them but for all scholarship recipients abroad. She appealed for patience, explaining that the outstanding obligations are substantial and require careful coordination for sustainable resolution.
Following the engagement, the PhD Scholars’ Cohort executives agreed, in a spirit of cooperation and good faith, to suspend their planned protest.
