The Ghana Chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to the administrations of various tertiary institutions in the country for a grace period for the payment of fees by their members.
In a media interview, the President of NANS, Sam Edem, pointed out the volatility in the exchange rate between the Ghanaian cedi and the Nigerian naira. This exchange rate instability has resulted in continuous increases in school fees.
Mr. Edem acknowledged that the Nigerian government is taking steps to address the naira’s challenges and urged tertiary institutions in Ghana to consider their request for a grace period in light of these currency fluctuations.
“So, while I am putting out word to our government back home, we would appreciate it if a lot more is done about this issue. And we appeal to our institutions here to give the Nigerian students that allowance for the period to ensure that they are able to meet their obligations with regard to fees.”
In a public lecture in 2022, Lamido Sanusi, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, disclosed that there were more than 70,000 Nigerian students pursuing their education in Ghana.
He said “about 71,000 Nigerian students in Ghana (are) paying about US$1 billion annually as tuition fees and upkeep, as against the annual budget of US$751 million for all federal universities.”
“In other words, the money spent by Nigerian students studying in Ghana with a better-organised system is more than the annual budget of all federal universities in the country. Nigeria is today placed third on the list of countries with the highest number of students studying overseas,” he added.