Ghana's Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Dr. Barfour Adjei-Barwuah, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Andrews University to grant partial scholarship to Ghanaian students and professionals, both home and abroad.
In his address to the executive leadership of the university, Dr. Adjei-Barwauh, visibly excited, reiterated the importance of the agreement; "this is a five year program so it is something that is going to benefit our people for a while. At a time where the world is moving fast, this kind of relationship is important for our development."
Touching on the details of the partnership, he intimated, "we have secured 250 seats per year for Ghanaian students and professionals-200 seats for undergraduate students and 50 seats for graduate students.This means that, we can enroll up to 1250 students during the lifetime of the agreement. The program gives students and professionals who will be pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees, 50% off their tuition cost. The partnership also extends to students and professionals who prefer to stay home and pursue their degree programs online."
According to data from the university, most undergraduate students enrolled pay about $28,272 per year. At 50%, each student will get $14,136 off per year totaling $56,544 of savings for 4 years. A discount of $56,544 for 200 students per year for five years comes to $56.5 million of scholarship accessible to Ghanaian first degree students. The discount total, accessible to graduate students is about $5.5 million at 50 students for five years. Essentially, this agreement means that Ghanaians have close to $62 million worth of scholarship they can access under this program.
President of Andrews University, Dr. Andrea Luxton, stressed the school's commitment to education and the motive for investing in Ghanaians. "As an Adventist institution, we believe in giving back by way of empowerment, through education. Our relationship with Ghana goes back many years. This partnership solidifies that relationship even more", he revealed.
Speaking at the signing-in event, Mr. Kwame Antwi-Frempong, the deal broker and CEO of Aspire Business Network, assured the university of his commitment to safeguard the program and to ensure that all applicants are properly pre-screened. "Both parties have agreed for Aspire's continuous involvement in the program. They want to make sure students are rigorously screened. This will ensure that students who go through the program are legitimate and academically ready. The sustainability of this program is very important. It's going to give Ghanaians access to over $60 million so we will do everything to protect the integrity of the program and by extension, the Embassy and Andrews University", he emphasised.
Mr Antwi-Frempong, further, commended Ambassador Adjei-Barwuah for the exemplary leadership he exhibited throughout the process, and thanked his personal assistant, Kofi Tonto, for working closely with the negotiation team.
As part of the visit, the ambassador met and held talks with the Dean of Nursing school, after a tour of the Aviation school. Discussions are ongoing to partner with these two schools in the near future.
Dr. Adjei-Barwuah, while in Berrien Springs, met with the Ghanaian community, and visited the NSG Group, one of the world's biggest glass manufacturing plants located in Niles, Michigan.
The Ambassador was accompanied by Chairperson of NPP-USA, Obaa Yaa Frimpong and his personal assistant, Kofi Tonto.
Source: Josephine Acheampomaa
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