Cabinet has approved new bill to establish Ghana Scholarships Authority to prohibit political appointees — Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his administration’s commitment to overhauling the country’s government scholarship system to ensure fairness and eliminate political interference.

Delivering a national address on Wednesday, May 7, to mark the first 120 days of his social contract with Ghanaians, President Mahama outlined plans to introduce a new bill that would reshape the way scholarships are awarded in the country.

"To ensure fairness and transparency and eliminates political patronage and corruption in awarding government scholarships, we promise to lay before parliament a new bill to streamline administration and prohibit political appointees from accessing government scholarships," he said.

He explained that the new legislation had already received Cabinet approval and is set to be laid before Parliament. The proposed law will establish a new body—the Ghana Scholarships Authority—tasked with administering scholarships based on merit and need, with a focus on national development priorities.

"Cabinet has given policy approval for the new scholarships authority bill to be laid before parliament to fulfill this promise. I hope parliament will consider and pass this bill expeditiously when it resumes sitting. This bill will establish the Ghana Scholarships Authority, a fair and transparent system focused on needy and deserving students and national development priority areas," he stressed.

In addition to scholarship reform, President Mahama spotlighted the One Million Coders Programme as a central part of his vision to build a tech-driven, inclusive economy.

He described the initiative as a bold step towards preparing young Ghanaians for employment in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) sectors.

"The pilot training began in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Bono, and Upper East regions. The technology sector is a key pillar of Ghana's economic reset, and we're taking bold steps to equip our youth to be the future of work," he explained.

The programme, which combines digital training with employment pathways, is one of several interventions aimed at repositioning Ghana’s economy for long-term growth driven by innovation, merit, and equitable opportunity.