The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has held a series of consultations with Ghanaian student leaders based in Europe, Asia, and the Americas to explore ways the Ministry can better serve students abroad through embassies and high commissions.
The discussions, held over the past few weeks, highlighted challenges including visa bottlenecks, consular responsiveness, financial commitments, and integration support. The meetings also explored mechanisms to encourage students to return home after their studies, with proposals on startup strategies, entrepreneurial mentorship, business incubation, and recruitment systems to contribute to the government’s Reset Agenda.
Hon. Ablakwa briefed the student leaders on measures being implemented by the Mahama Administration to enhance consular assistance and progress made in pursuing cases relating to alleged violations of rights, with particular emphasis on the Nana Agyei tragedy. He also updated them on reforms being sought with international partners regarding what Ghana considers unfair English proficiency requirements.
The Minister received positive feedback on the Student Desks established in 11 embassies last year. Based on the success of the pilot, he announced that the initiative will be scaled up this year to cover all 72 Ghanaian diplomatic missions worldwide.
Hon. Ablakwa further committed to negotiating additional bilateral scholarships beyond the 1,500 secured last year, assuring transparency and equity in their distribution.
He commended Ghanaian students for making the nation proud in prestigious academic institutions across the globe and wished them success in their studies.
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