Erasmus+ scholarship programme marks 30th anniversary

A forum on the Erasmus+ scholarship programme organized by the European Union delegation to Ghana in cooperation with the Centre for European Studies of the University of Ghana, has taken place at the University of Ghana.

Erasmus+ is the European Union’s programme for education, training, youth and sports development. It offers scholarship opportunities for students in tertiary institutions including doctoral candidates to study in Europe. The programme also provides an avenue for lecturers from beneficiary institutions to teach in European universities.

The event was addressed by the European Union Ambassador to Ghana, H. E. William Hanna, and several Ambassadors from Members States of the EU in Ghana and some Erasmus Alumni, who shared their experiences with students and faculty.

The Ambassadors included H. E. Maria-Jesus Alonso of Spain, H. E. Christoph Retzlaff of Germany, H. E. Ron Strikker of the Netherlands. H. E. Mr. Giovanni Favilli of Italy and Ms. Cecile Vigneau, Acting Ambassador of France, who are both Erasmus Alumni, also addressed the forum. Several of the Member States of the EU provide bilateral scholarships to study in their countries, and their representatives informed the students about these opportunities and how to apply for them.

Ghanaian beneficiaries of the Erasmus Programme who shared their experiences with participants at the forum are Ms. Alberta Jonah, a Marine Expert and PhD candidate at the University of Cape Coast and Mr. John Eliasu Mahama, International Health Expert.

The event brought together EU Member States, University of Ghana Faculty Members, Student Associations and Students to learn from the experiences of beneficiaries of the Erasmus+ programme.

As part of the event a plaque for the newly created Centre for European Studies was jointly unveiled by the Ambassadors and the Director of the Centre, Professor Ransford Gyampo, an Associate Professor at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana.

Speaking at the event, the EU Ambassador to Ghana, William Hanna remarked that, “no one can deny the fact that education plays a critical role in improving development outcomes in both developing and developed countries.”

According to him, Ghana is one of the most active Sub-Saharan countries that send students, scholars and researchers under the Erasmus+ and Marie-Sklodowska Curie.

“In total, 267 students from Ghana have been offered scholarships from the Erasmus Mundus joint Master Degree Programme and 42 doctoral candidates have received fellowships. A total of 22 outstanding students including 4 doctoral fellows from Ghana were selected in 2016,” he noted.

"When we add up all the scholarships, provided through our central Erasmus programme and through bilateral programmes funded by EU member States, we see that each year over a thousand Ghanaian students receive scholarships to study in Europe."