Ghanaian PhD Students UK Face Eviction Over Stipend Delays

Prince Komla Bansah, president of the Ghanaian PhD cohort in the United Kingdom, warned on Sunday, December 7, that several scholarship beneficiaries are being hauled before UK courts by landlords over unpaid rent.

Bansah blamed the crisis on the Ghanaian government’s failure to release stipends for the past forty‑eight months, leaving many scholars unable to cover basic living costs.

“Several of my colleagues from the PhD end, for instance, are facing all manner of court cases because they have defaulted on their rent payment, so they have been taken to court and are battling that out,” he told JoyNews The Probe.

The Ghana Scholarship Secretariat (GSS) previously issued guarantee letters to help students secure accommodation, but Bansah said no renewed letters have been provided for the last ten months.

“The guarantee letter that is given to the student by the GSS has expired. We have spoken to the new Registrar to renew the letters because, in very extreme circumstances, some landlords can accept the guarantee letters in place of payment, but for more than ten months we have not received any renewal letter,” he added.

Without stipends, some scholars are resorting to food banks, while others are temporarily staying with friends.

Bansah’s comments formed part of a broader discussion on Ghana’s outstanding scholarship‑related debts. He noted a current debt of GH₵ 38 million, plus an additional GH₵ 50.6 million inherited from the previous NPP administration under Dr. Agyeman‑Duah, which continues to exacerbate conditions for Ghanaian students abroad.

Government officials have not yet responded to requests for comment on the stipend delays or the lack of renewed guarantee letters.

The situation underscores the urgent need for the government to honour its financial commitments to students studying overseas, lest more scholars face legal battles and hardship.

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