Mr Marcus Jadotte, the United States Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis, arrived in Accra on Wednesday as part of a three-member education and trade mission to Africa.
The team would participate in the US Higher Education Students Fair, a statement issued by the US Embassy in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency said 25 colleges and universities in the US would be recruiting students to study there.
It said two of the institutions, McNeese State University and the San Mateo College of Silicon Valley, had specifically announced scholarships that would be available to qualified students who attended the fair.
“Students who are seeking to enroll in Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral programmes in the US can register to attend the fair by visiting EventBrite.com and browsing to ‘USA Education Fair Accra,” it said.
It said the US remained the destination of choice in higher education according to the most recent Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, which tracked global student trends.
In the 2014/15 academic year the US hosted nearly one million international students, almost double the number hosted by the United Kingdom, the second leading destination country.
It noted that last year, the number of Ghanaians studying in the United States increased by 6.3 per cent.
The statement said Ghana surpassed Kenya to become the second largest sender of students from Africa, trailing only Nigeria. Currently, more than 3,100 Ghanaian students are spread among 600 universities and colleges in all 50 American states.
It noted that US-Ghana educational exchange was mutual: Ghana is a popular study abroad destination for Americans, as well as ranking second in Africa, after South Africa, with more than 2,300 Americans earning credit at Ghanaian universities last year.
It said as the US Government worked to increase the number of students from Sub-Saharan Africa who studied in the US, this mission offered the delegation the opportunity to interact with students, learn more about their educational goals and interests, and share opportunities that US institutions had available.
The statement said the education trade mission delegation provided a diverse cross section of higher education in the US.
Included in the group are schools from across the United States that vary in size and type including community colleges; universities with undergraduate and graduate degree programs; and institutions that offer an array of specialty degrees.
Source: GNA