Some courses Ghanaian students read abroad are irrelevant to the nation’s progress - Prince Ntiamoah Boampong

Marketing expert Prince Ntiamoah Boampong has expressed concern over the rising number of Ghanaian students stranded in the United Kingdom due to a funding crisis, arguing that the situation raises deeper questions about the relevance of programmes many students pursue abroad.

Speaking on the ongoing discourse surrounding Ghanaian scholarship beneficiaries facing severe hardship on the GTV breakfast show, Boampong noted that while international education is valuable, some of the courses students are enrolled in do not directly contribute to Ghana’s developmental priorities. He stressed that the country must begin to critically assess which areas of study genuinely align with its national goals.

According to Boampong, limited national resources should be strategically invested in fields that address Ghana’s pressing needs such as engineering, health sciences, agriculture, digital technology, and public administration. He argued that financing courses with minimal impact on the nation’s socio-economic progress weakens the return on investment and ultimately contributes to the inefficiencies currently plaguing the scholarship system.

In his view, the ongoing funding crisis is not only a financial problem but also a sign of poor planning and misalignment between scholarship offerings and national development objectives.

Boampong further called for a comprehensive review of the Scholarship Secretariat’s selection and placement processes, emphasizing the importance of tying funded courses to Ghana’s manpower gaps.

He suggested collaboration between academia, industry, and government to compile a clear skills-demand framework that guides scholarship awards. By doing so, he believes Ghana can prevent future crises, maximize the value of its investment in human capital, and ensure that students sent abroad return with skills that directly support the country’s progress.