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NDC pledges tuition-free education for first year university students
Ghana’s opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC), has promised a tuition-free education for first-year students in public universities when voted to power.
According to the party, this forms part of a broader set of reforms to make higher education accessible for students.
Public Relations consultant and a member of the NDC Youth Manifesto team, Festus Mwingsong Akyuuro made this announcement during the launch at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) on Monday.
The policy according to the NDC is to ease the financial burden on parents to ensure accessible higher education.
“No academic fees for first-year students. We’ve heard countless stories of students who finished school with 7As, and we had to start crowdfunding for them. All of that will be a thing of the past under the next NDC administration,” he added.Also at the ceremony, the flagbearer of the party, John Dramani Mahama highlighted several other key proposals including its “24-hour economy policy,” which aims to stimulate economic activity around the clock, potentially creating more job opportunities and improving productivity.
“We will create an enabling environment for young people to thrive and lay a foundation for prosperous Ghanaians not just a few,” he
The former President said, “We will increase access to quality education from the basic and second cycle to tertiary levels as well as affordable healthcare and numerous job creation programmes.”
Additionally, the party proposed the establishment of a Ministry for Youth Development, which the Party’s leader, Mahama says would presumably focus on unlocking the full potential of Ghana’s young people.
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana has signed a debt restructuring agreement with the Kingdom of Belgium as part of efforts to restore the country’s economic stability after the financial crisis that hit the nation in 2022 and 2023.
The Minister of Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, today disclosed that he signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
He explained that Ghana experienced a very difficult period during the crisis, which forced the government at the time to declare a debt default.
However, he indicated that the country is now recovering and witnessing a significant economic turnaround.
According to him, stronger systems are also being put in place to ensure that Ghana does not return to such a situation again.
Dr Forson noted that the agreement with Belgium is the eighth deal Ghana has concluded with countries under the Official Creditor Committee as part of its external debt restructuring programme.
He expressed appreciation to the Government of Belgium for its support and partnership with Ghana during the process.
The Finance Minister thanked Carole van Eyll, Ambassador of Belgium to Ghana, for her role in strengthening relations between the two countries.
The agreement forms part of Ghana’s broader effort to restructure its external debts and stabilise the economy following the crisis.
By: Jacob Aggrey
