‎The Ministry of Education says increased opportunities for Ghanaian students to pursue higher education abroad could help ease pressure on tertiary institutions in the country.‎

‎Director for Pre-Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Nana Baffour Awuah, said this at the 2026 EducationUSA College and University Fair held at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra on Friday, September 25.‎

‎She was speaking to the media during the fair which brought together about 30 universities from the United States to engage prospective Ghanaian students on study opportunities, programmes, scholarships and the application process.

‎‎Nana Baffour Awuah said students should carefully consider their career aspirations, the programmes offered by the universities and available scholarship opportunities before making decisions about studying abroad.

‎‎“I think there are a lot of programmes that align with their aspirations, so I'm so, so much happy that this programme is part of that. And I know that whatever the case is going to be, they should also look at the programmes that the people are also doing, they should look at the scholarships, and then ensure that whatever programme that they choose will align to their own aspiration, so that when they go they can come back and develop Ghana for all of us to have a nice place to live” he stressed.‎

‎He also linked the initiative to the pressure currently facing Ghana's education system, particularly the placement of students into tertiary institutions.

‎‎According to him, creating more opportunities for students to access education outside the country could help reduce the pressure on local institutions.

‎‎“If we're looking at the number of students that we are to place and then the problems that are coming up, if we are able to get opportunities like this, it will reduce the pressure on our schools and other universities,” he added.

‎Nana Baffour cited the high demand for places in some tertiary institutions as an example of the pressure on the country's education system.

‎‎“For instance, if you go to, is it Aburi Girls or something? If they are looking for maybe 2,000 students, now almost about 4,000 students have applied to go to Aburi Girls. So programmes like this will help us to reduce the pressure on our schools.”

‎‎Ghanaian students in US more than triple

‎‎Meanwhile, Acting Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, Rolf Olson, disclosed that the number of Ghanaian students pursuing higher education in the United States has more than tripled over the past six years.

‎‎He said the number rose from about 4,000 in the 2019/20 academic year to 12,800 in the 2024/25 academic year.

‎‎“In 2019-2020, which was the last academic year before COVID started, there were 4,000 Ghanaians studying in higher education in the United States. The last year that we have data for, which is the 2024-25 school year, it was 12,800.”

‎Mr Olson said the number has been increasing by about 2,500 to 3,000 Ghanaian students each year since the COVID-19 pandemic, describing the trend as an indication of the quality of Ghanaian students and their ability to succeed in U.S. universities.

‎‎“That shows a couple of things. One, it shows the tremendous quality of students and education that we have here in Ghana, that we have so many students who are able to get into colleges and universities in the US and succeed,” he said.

‎‎He further said the growing presence of Ghanaian students is also being felt at individual universities across the United States.

‎‎Rolf Olson recalled that the university he attended in Minnesota in the 1990s had no Ghanaian students at the time but during a recent visit, Ghanaians had become the institution's largest international student population.

‎‎“When I went there in the 1990s, there were no Ghanaian students. I visited there about a year ago, and for the first time in a long time, and Ghanaians are now their largest international students population,” he emphasised.

‎‎He added that the embassy would continue to encourage Ghanaian students to explore opportunities to study in the United States.

‎‎“The interest has been tremendous, and the population that has been able to go to study in the US has been great. And so we want to encourage that as much as we are able.”

‎‎EducationUSA connects students with US universities

‎‎Executive Director of ACE Consult and Senior EducationUSA Adviser, Marilyn Owusu, also stated that the annual fair is intended to give Ghanaian students direct access to admissions officers from US universities.

‎‎She stressed this allows prospective students to obtain accurate information directly from institutions and receive guidance throughout the application process.

‎‎“This fair is purposely to help the students interact directly with admissions officers so that they can get accurate, comprehensive, direct information to help them apply to the schools they are applying to,” she asserted.

‎‎Ms Owusu expounded that about 30 US universities participated in the Accra fair following a similar event in Kumasi.

‎‎She encouraged prospective students who were unable to attend the fair to contact the EducationUSA centres in Accra and Kumasi for guidance on applying to US institutions.

‎‎Universities report strong interest from Ghanaian students

‎‎Meanwhile, participating universities say they have received strong interest from Ghanaian students during the two-day fair.

‎‎Dhairya Gohel, Assistant Director for South Asia at the University of Vermont, said the response from students in Kumasi and Accra had been significant.

‎‎“It's been a really overwhelming response from all of the students that I've been meeting. I've seen a mix of interest and a different diversity of students interested in various programmes that we offer,” he said.

‎‎He indicated that the wide range of programmes and flexibility offered by US universities remain important attractions for international students.

‎‎“One very important thing that I need to tell the students or the audience of why to choose US as a study destination is the impression the US has, the diversity and the variety of programmes that US has,” he added.

‎‎The EducationUSA College Fair also featured sessions on the US university application process, financial aid and student visa procedures with students and their families given the opportunity to engage directly with university representatives.

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