On June 13, 2024, at the British Consul Auditorium in Ghana, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Ghana, Comrade Ifejuka Somtochukwu raised concerns about the mandatory payment of school fees in dollars by Nigerian students. She made this statement during the 15th Anniversary Lecture of Nigerian Eye Newspaper, themed “Trade Conundrum: Expanding Understanding of the ECOWAS Module as Catalyst to Prosperity in Sub-Saharan Africa”.
The event featured keynote speakers Hon. Tochukwu Okere, Chairman of the Diaspora Affairs Committee at the 10th National Assembly of Nigeria, and Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Member of the Ghanaian Parliament representing Ketu South. Hon. Okere emphasized the need for economic cooperation and integration in the ECOWAS region, while Hon. Gomashie highlighted the importance of trade and investment in promoting prosperity in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Comrade Ifejuka’s remarks, however, focused on the challenges faced by Nigerian students in Ghana, who are required to pay school fees in dollars despite Nigeria’s official currency being the naira and Ghana’s being the cedi. She expressed her frustration, saying, “It’s no secret that at least 80% of schools here in Ghana charge foreign students in dollars… paying in dollars, whereas we don’t even use dollars as our currency, has been weird.” She emphasized that she has sought answers to this question but has yet to receive a satisfactory response, asking, “Is there a reason why we pay in dollars? So is there anything we can do?”
The audience comprised students, educators, and stakeholders in the education sector, who nodded in agreement with Comrade Ifejuka’s concerns. Her query has sparked a conversation about the need for a more reasonable and student-friendly payment system. The event aimed to explore the challenges and opportunities in the ECOWAS module and its impact on prosperity in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In her concluding remarks, Comrade Ifejuka urged stakeholders in the education sector to reconsider the payment system, emphasizing that education should be a catalyst for prosperity, not a financial burden. Comrade Ifejuka ended with a call to action, encouraging policymakers and educators to work together to address the challenges faced by Nigerian students in Ghana.