Former Registrar of the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, has denied allegations by Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Sabah Zita Benson, that the Secretariat under his leadership funded the travel and upkeep of family members of scholarship beneficiaries in the UK.
In a statement issued by Sarkodie Baffour Awuah and Partners, lawyers for Dr Agyemang and the Akyem Abuakwa South Constituency, the allegations were described as an attempt to publicly ridicule their client and cast doubt on his record as Registrar of the Scholarships Secretariat.
The lawyers maintained that Dr Agyemang executed his mandate with diligence and denied any wrongdoing during his tenure, which ran from 2017 to 2025.
“Our client maintains that he executed his work as former Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat with utmost diligence and therefore denies any wrongdoing,” the statement said.
The fresh allegations follow claims by the High Commissioner that the Secretariat funded air tickets and other travel-related expenses for spouses and children accompanying some scholarship beneficiaries to the United Kingdom.
Mrs Benson alleged that the cost of such arrangements was conducted through a travel consultancy and included premium visas and yellow fever cards. She further alleged that accompanying family members received monthly allowances estimated at £8,160 each, which she said should be refunded to the state.
According to the High Commissioner, documents handed over by the previous administration showed instances where spouses and as many as three or four children of scholarship beneficiaries were covered by public funds while the beneficiaries pursued postgraduate programmes, including MBAs, in the UK.
The allegations have reignited scrutiny of the management of the Scholarships Secretariat, which has faced investigations following a 2024 investigation by The Fourth Estate that raised concerns about the allocation of government scholarships to individuals considered affluent or politically connected rather than brilliant but needy applicants.
Dr Agyemang is also currently the subject of investigations by the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) over alleged scholarship-related irregularities. In May 2026, he reported to the Bureau after being invited to assist with investigations arising from the allegations and said he provided a statement before leaving.
Separately, the Office of the Special Prosecutor has confirmed that it has been investigating suspected corruption and corruption-related offences at the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat since July 2023. The OSP described the investigation as active and ongoing.
The High Commissioner has also alleged that Dr Agyemang awarded scholarships to 189 students at a cost of about £3.1 million and added them to the 2025/2026 academic year despite knowing that the previous administration had left office.
Dr Agyemang’s lawyers, however, contend that their client has already been cleared by the investigative agencies and that the matter has been brought to a conclusion. They said he voluntarily made himself available to the state security and investigative agencies and fully cooperated with the investigations.
“It is worthy of note that this is not the first time the High Commissioner is making such wild allegations notwithstanding the pendency of investigations by state security and investigative agencies,” the lawyers stated.
“Our client has not only availed himself to the said state security agencies but has fully cooperated with them with a view to ensuring that the allegations are thoroughly investigated, his name is completely cleared, and the matter is brought to a definitive conclusion.”
The latest allegations form part of wider claims by Mrs Benson about what she has described as financial mismanagement at the Scholarships Secretariat under the former Registrar. She has linked the administration to scholarship-related debts of more than £35 million owed to UK institutions, of which about £3 million has reportedly been cleared by the current administration.
Dr Agyemang has previously rejected the debt claims, arguing that the Secretariat’s financial obligations are longstanding and that he inherited significant arrears when he assumed office. He has also maintained that no Ghanaian scholarship beneficiary was sent home during his tenure because of unpaid fees.
The latest exchange comes as investigations into the management and allocation of government scholarships continue, with the outcome of the ongoing probes expected to establish whether any financial or administrative wrongdoing occurred.
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