Ghana embassy orders state-sponsored students in US and Caribbean to swear return oath

Pinned summary · as of 07:19

Ghana's embassy in Washington, D.C. has told students on government scholarships in the United States and the Caribbean that they must take a compulsory oath between 8 October and 6 November 2026. The exercise, which also checks scholarship records, is meant to bind beneficiaries to their duty to return home once their studies end.

What we know

• The embassy announced a compulsory Oath of Affirmation and Scholarship Validation Exercise, to run from 8 October to 6 November 2026, covering every student in the United States and the Caribbean who is sponsored by the Ghana Government.
• The embassy said the Ghana Scholarships Authority ordered the exercise, which is carried out under the Authority's 2025 Act (Act 1149, Section 31) and the Oaths Act, 1972 (NRCD 6, Section 11). Those provisions require scholarship holders studying abroad to swear the oath personally, in front of an officer appointed at a Ghanaian mission.
• According to the embassy, the exercise will validate scholarship records and restate beneficiaries' commitment to return to Ghana after their programmes, as their award conditions require.
• Sessions are planned at selected venues across the US and the Caribbean, among them the Ghana High Commission in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Affected students are to be sent venue and appointment details directly.
• Students who go to Washington can take the oath at the embassy, 3512 International Drive NW, by appointment only, on Thursdays and Fridays between 1pm and 3pm.
• The embassy urged students to have all their documents ready before appointments, to prevent delays.
• The law says a scholarship holder who studies abroad must, subject to the award terms, return and serve Ghana once the programme ends. A beneficiary who refuses must repay the whole scholarship together with interest charged at the Bank of Ghana's prevailing rate.
• Opemsuo 104.7 and The Herald Ghana reported that if the penalty goes unpaid, the Authority may recover the sum as a civil debt set at double the scholarship amount and interest.
• The embassy warned that non-compliance with Section 31 could carry consequences, including delays in paying tuition fees.

Why it matters for Ghana

Ghanaian students funded by the state in North America and the Caribbean now have a fixed window to complete the oath and avoid trouble with the Authority. Missing it could delay their tuition payments, which could affect their studies. For families, and for graduates weighing whether to stay abroad, the law's repayment terms spell out the financial cost of not coming back.