A relative of the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been identified as a beneficiary of scholarships meant for needy but brilliant students.
For starters, Nana Obrempongmaa Ofori-Atta is not the daughter of the Finance Minister, as circulated on social media.
She is the daughter of Ken Ofori-Atta’s cousin, a family source has told theghanareport.com.
GETFUND listed Obrempongmaa among 86 politically connected persons who got scholarships and sponsorships to study abroad at the taxpayer’s expense.
GETFUND spent $4.7million to educate these privileged Ghanaians, the Auditor-General’s report said after auditing the GETFUND secretariat which disbursed the scholarships haphazardly.’
With Nana Obrempongmaa Ofori-Atta, she got admission into Georgetown University in the US studying for her first degree.
It has already cost the taxpayer $52,600 in tuition and an additional $4,400 in living expenses.
Her scholarship is among the top 20 most expensive in the 88-beneficiary list.
Theghanareport.com checks show she began schooling there in 2018, after completing the prestigious SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College, a school in Tema attended by wards of the affluent.
The fees of the school do not come cheap. Tuition and boarding per semester cost GHc41, 250 and GHc 82,500 for boarding and tuition per annum.
Her Facebook posts suggest she completed SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in 2017.
In a Facebook post, she announced her new school and her involvement in school activities.
Days after her name popped up in the list of 88 beneficiaries, her Facebook account has been deactivated.
Ghanaians have expressed outrage on social media after the “very disturbing” report published by the Auditor-General landed on news portals.
The GETFUND was set up to improve educational infrastructure and also support the scholarship secretariat to fund education in Ghana.
But GETFUND discontinued funding to the Scholarship Secretariat and proceeded to provide the bursaries directly to applicants.
The new scholarship scheme, described as unlawful in the report, degenerated into wanton cronyism and abuse of discretion.
Some 80% of the scholarships were given to fund education abroad, a far cry from the objective of funding education domestically.
Some brilliant but needy Ghanaians have had their applications turned down as they appeared to have little or no political connections.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, comes from a successful royal family which was prominent in the fight for independence from the British colonial masters.
There is voluminous literature on the rich history of the Ofori-Atta family, which is tied to the Abuakwa state.
The family has since dominated Ghana’s politics and business landscape.
Photo: President Nana Akufo-Addo and his cousin, Finance Minister
Before becoming Finance Minister in January 2017, Ken Ofori-Atta was a key financier in the highly successful 2016 NPP campaign for power.
He was seen distributing NPP pamphlets in the run-up to election 2016.
His ground-breaking business, Databank, was the first investment banking company in Ghana that has since been decorated globally with awards.
He has other business interests in insurance, retail banking, private equity, micro-finance, pharmaceuticals, and real estate.
Many have wondered how a relative to the powerful politician and businessman could qualify as needy.
In a testament to elitist cabalism at the GETFUND Secretariat, the Labour and Employment Minister has also been listed among the beneficiaries.
The Labour and Employment Minister, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, received a scholarship to study at the University of Portsmouth for a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Politics.
His living expenses and tuition amounted to more than £24,000.
Document: How GETFUND ‘gifted’ more than 1,200 scholarships without seeing admission letters
While familiar names of politicians and politically-connected persons have popped up. Some “beneficiaries” have come out to categorically deny receiving funding from GETFUND, although they applied.
It has raised questions bordering on profiteering and influence peddling within the GETFUND.
‘I never received a pesewa!’ – GETFund “beneficiary” denies receiving £22,000 scholarship
Nothing wrong for politically exposed persons to access government scholarships – Buaben Asamoa
