The University of Ghana’s Students Financial Aid Office (SFAO) has begun its 20th-anniversary celebration with a renewed call to strengthen support systems for financially needy students in tertiary institutions.
Under the theme “Promoting Equity, Expanding Access and Enhancing Aid Administration in Tertiary Education,” the two-day event features panel discussions, testimonies from beneficiaries, and stakeholder engagements.
Delivering the keynote address, Emeritus Professor and former Vice-Chancellor of the university, Ernest Aryeetey, emphasized the need to move beyond academic performance as the sole basis for awarding aid. He called for increased focus on the actual needs of students and urged institutions to educate them on how to access available grants.
”Hardly anybody knows about them, and those who do are often the ones bold enough to ask,” he said, referring to lesser-known funding sources such as the MTN Ghana Foundation, CalBank Foundation, EFBC Foundation, among others.
Prof. Aryeetey also encouraged government and institutional bodies to ensure their interventions are more targeted, directing aid to those who need it most.
The anniversary celebration continues on Wednesday with sessions aimed at strengthening financial aid systems and expanding opportunities for students across Ghana.
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Story by Emmanuel Eugene Darkwah | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Michelle Lartey
