The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established student desks in 11 diplomatic missions to assist Ghanaian students studying abroad.
The initiative which was announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Okudzeto Ablakwa in a Facebook post today February 17, 2025, is expected to extend to all missions and aims to provide direct support in areas such as tuition payments, immigration matters, medical emergencies, academic verification, housing, evacuations, and legal aid.
The student desks have been set up in Abidjan, Beijing, Belgrade, Cotonou, Havana, Lomé, London, Moscow, Rabat, Rome, and Ottawa.
The ministry said these locations were chosen based on data showing a high number of Ghanaian students in these countries.
Consular officials assigned to the desks will submit monthly reports to the Consular and Humanitarian Affairs Bureau, which will forward updates to the foreign minister.
The ministry noted that the initiative will not require additional recruitment or increase costs, as existing staff have been reassigned to manage the new responsibilities.
According to the minister, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the move is intended to address long standing complaints from Ghanaian students abroad, especially those on government scholarships, who have often struggled to access assistance from Ghana’s embassies.
The foreign ministry has indicated that further changes will be introduced to improve consular services.
