A renowned entrepreneur has asked the Education Minister to end the scholarship waste and invest in skills that build the nation.
In an open letter to Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Mr. Kwame Sowu hinted that Ghana’s youth are not unemployed because they lack degree rather they are unemployed because the degrees they hold often lead nowhere.
Mr. Sowu said it is time to ban public scholarships for generic courses such as International Relations, Human Resource Management, Public Administration, Journalism, and Marketing since they do not solve Ghana’s pressing economic needs.
Read the entire open letter below:
Dear Hon. Minister of Education,
Ghana’s youth are not unemployed because they lack degrees. They are unemployed because the degrees they hold often lead nowhere.
For far too long, government scholarship schemes have poured scarce national resources into generic academic programmes such as International Relations, Human Resource Management, Public Administration, Journalism, and Marketing. These are subjects that are easily taught in Ghana at far less cost and with little to no local impact in terms of job creation or industry development.
It is time to ban public scholarships for such generic courses, especially when studied abroad. They do not solve Ghana’s pressing economic needs. They do not build industries. And worst of all, they do not create jobs. We are, in effect, subsidizing academic tourism, not economic transformation.
Instead, we must channel every cedi of our scholarship budget into fields that generate real jobs, produce tangible goods, and build new industries. Ghana needs a workforce that can feed, fix, construct, design, machine, fabricate, preserve, and power this country.
Here are the academic and vocational fields we should be prioritizing:
- Animal Science
- Horticultural Science
- Automotive Engineering
- Wood Technology and Construction
- Apparel and Textile Science
- Precision Engineering and Machining Technology
- Industrial and Product Design
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Hospitality and Tourism Management
- Renewable Energy Engineering
- Food Science and Technology
- Electrochemical Energy Systems
- Irrigation Engineering
- Crop Science
These are the disciplines that can unlock billions of dollars in economic activity, create sustainable hands-on jobs, and bring visible transformation to every region of Ghana.
But beyond university degrees, we must also create a national and international scholarship schemes for full-time technical and apprenticeship programmes, both long- and short-term. These should include:
Auto mechanics
Electrical installation
Plumbing
Tailoring and fashion design
Masonry and tiling
Welding and fabrication
Furniture and upholstery making
Hair and beauty technology
Digital design and fabrication
Agri-processing techniques
These are the trades that fuel the economies of successful countries. They are not inferior to academic learning. They are simply more urgent, more relevant, and more transformative in a country that needs jobs, not more office-seekers.
We must stop pretending that a BA in Human Resource Management is worth more than a certified skill in CNC Machining or Refrigeration Technology. One builds paperwork. The other builds wealth.
The future of Ghana lies not in degrees but in skills. Let us rewire our scholarship policy to reflect that truth. Ban wasteful academic scholarships. Fund productive education. And watch Ghana rise.
Sincerely,
Kwame Sowu, Entrepreneur
