Former Auditor-General Daniel Domelevo has criticized the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat for what he called a lack of defined rules in selecting worthy applicants of scholarships.
Domelevo cited cases in which scholarships intended for students from low-income families were given to people with political connections and their relatives instead.
Scholarships intended for underprivileged students were given to the daughters of prominent politicians, such as former New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman Freddie Blay and former Inspector General of Police David Asante Apeatu, following an investigation spearheaded by The Fourth Estate.
According to the quoted news, Gifty Oware-Mensah (née Oware-Aboagye) was awarded a government scholarship worth GBP18,450 in 2020 to pursue an MSc in Development Policy and Politics at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. Three years after she began serving as the Deputy Executive Director for the National Service Secretariat, she was given the scholarship. She bought Berry Ladies FC, a female football team that was formerly known as Halifax Ladies FC and is currently competing in Ghana’s women’s premier league, in the same year.
In an April 8, 2024, JoyNews interview, Domelevo emphasized the need of using wise judgment in public service and the significance of following set rules to guarantee impartiality and justice in the distribution process.
“In our audit report, one of our concerns was that according to the law, the monies should be given to the Scholarship Secretariat for them to administer, but then GETFund was administering it themselves.
“I am told that has changed, so the money has been given to the Scholarship Secretariat, who, from my point of view, is administering scholarships 24/7.
“But if this is how they are administering scholarships, then they are a complete waste. It is better if we scrap it. Not just waste; they are useless.
“I wish I had a harsher word for them because 24/7 that is what they do, and they have not been able to come up with any guidelines to determine who qualifies for this to ensure they are within the remit of the law,” myjoyonline.com quoted him to have said.
