Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sabah Zita Benson, has openly challenged what she describes as misleading and self-serving statements made by former Registrar of the Scholarships Secretariat, Kingsley Agyemang. Her rebuttal raises new concerns about financial mismanagement and the plight of Ghanaian students abroad.
Agyemang, who now serves as Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, recently claimed he inherited heavy debt but ensured that no Ghanaian student studying overseas was ever stranded during his tenure. He dismissed reports of a €32 million liability as politically motivated propaganda.
But according to Zita Benson, the facts on the ground tell a very different story. In a Facebook post on Saturday, December 6, she disclosed that the Secretariat under Agyemang allegedly racked up £35 million in unpaid fees owed to various UK institutions—burdens that have now fallen on the current administration and Ghanaian students.
She outlined the alarming breakdown of arrears:
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£1.23 million from 2021
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£2.3 million from 2022–2023
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£18 million for the 2023–2024 academic year
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£14 million projected for 2024–2025
Of this amount, only £3 million has been cleared so far, leaving schools and students in difficult situations.
Benson criticised Agyemang for attempting to deflect responsibility and insisted that the figures point to years of unchecked debt accumulation. “Sometimes you just have to take responsibility and admit that you were reckless,” she wrote, describing the financial mess as entirely avoidable.
Her remarks have added fuel to growing public doubts about Agyemang’s claims of “effective management,” with many questioning how such a massive backlog could form under his leadership.
