Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sabah Zita Benson, has denied claims that the government owes tuition fees or stipends to Prince Bansah, the spokesperson for a group of government-sponsored Ghanaian students protesting delayed payments in the UK.
Her comments come after government-sponsored Ghanaian students staged demonstrations over delays in the payment of tuition fees, stipends and other financial obligations.
In a Facebook post, Ms Benson said Mr Bansah, who featured prominently in videos highlighting the students’ concerns, had already completed his PhD programme and was therefore not personally owed any tuition fees or stipends by the government.
“Their spokesperson in the video you are watching, my very own dear Prince Bansah, has completed his PhD (congrats). We do not owe him tuition or stipends,” she wrote.
She added that the protesting students had spent the day engaging key institutions in the UK, including 10 Downing Street, the Ghana High Commission, the British Parliament and the BBC, in an effort to draw attention to their grievances.
“These groups have been very busy today, moving from Number 10 to my office, British Parliament, BBC, etc.,” she stated.
However, the students have pushed back against the High Commissioner’s remarks, insisting that Mr Bansah never claimed the government personally owed him tuition fees.
In a response, the group explained that Mr Bansah had only recently completed his PhD programme and was speaking on behalf of government-sponsored students whose tuition fees and stipends remain unpaid.
They further noted that while his tuition obligations had ended with the completion of his studies, he was still owed stipends by the government and continued to serve as the group’s spokesperson.
“He never stated that the government personally owed him tuition fees. He acknowledges that the government owes them all stipends. He is serving as a mouthpiece for students whose tuition fees have not yet been paid. His tenure as president of the group ends in September 2026,” the students said.
The exchange comes amid growing concerns over delays in the disbursement of funds to Ghanaian students studying abroad under government sponsorship, with affected students urging authorities to settle the outstanding payments.
