Accra, July 17, 2025 — The Executive Director of Parliamentary Network Africa (PNAfrica), Mr. Sammy Obeng, has added his voice to growing public calls urging Parliament to suspend the ongoing consideration of the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill.
In a strongly-worded social media post, Mr. Obeng criticized the rushed manner in which the House is processing the 22-page Bill, warning that such “indecent haste” compromises transparency and public participation. The Bill, which was laid before Parliament on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, went through second reading and consideration in less than a week under a certificate of urgency — a move that has drawn criticism from open governance advocates.
“A draft legislation as important as the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill must not go through the various stages of the lawmaking process with such indecent haste and close to zero public participation!” Mr. Obeng posted. “We have had one-too-many scholarships-related scandals, hence a law to regulate this space must not be opaquely dealt with.”
He questioned the rationale behind the expedited process, asking why Parliament and the Ministry of Education were in a rush with barely a few sitting days left before the House rises. Mr. Obeng demanded evidence of public consultation from the joint committee responsible for the Bill.
Backing Mr. Obeng’s concerns, a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and eminent citizens, known as the Citizens’ Coalition, has also called on the Speaker of Parliament to halt the process. In a statement signed by Kofi Asare of Africa Education Watch, Dr. Kojo Asante of CDD-Ghana, and investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, the group stressed that while the reform is laudable, the approach is flawed.
“There is no known emergency in the management of scholarships that justifies the speedy consideration of this all-important Bill without public consultation,” the Coalition said. “The Bill in its current form does not adequately address the structural weaknesses of the existing scholarships regime. Rather than remedying the prevailing opacity, nepotism, and political interference, it risks institutionalizing them.”
They also referenced the current plight of some 200 Ghanaian students abroad facing deportation over unpaid tuition fees, urging Parliament not to use the situation as justification for bypassing stakeholder engagement.
Both PNAfrica and the Citizens’ Coalition are calling for a transparent, inclusive, and merit-based framework that reflects global best practices and serves the national interest.
Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com
