German govt awards scholarships to refugees in Ghana

Accra, Aug. 19, GNA - The German Government has awarded eight new university scholarships to refugees pursuing various undergraduate degree courses in Ghanaian universities.

A statement issued by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Accra on Friday said a selection panel made up of representatives from the German Embassy, UNHCR, the Ghana Refugee Board, the Universities Academic Board and the DAFI focal person for Ghana on August 3 awarded the scholarships to refugee students in the country for the 2005/2006 academic year.

The DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative) programme is funded by the Federal Republic of Germany and aims at enabling young, gifted refugees to pursue tertiary education.

The statement said in the selection process 36 candidates were interviewed and were chosen on the basis of their academic achievements, their personal needs and their potential for the future. The beneficiaries had lived in the UNHCR camps for years and attended schools under bad conditions.

The admission of the new DAFI scholars brings the number of students benefiting from the scholarship to a total of 70, mostly from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo.

The statement said the 279,661 dollars scholarship fund would cover tuition, accommodation, books, medical care, transportation, clothing, tools and subsistence allowances.