Upper West Region Chief Imam’s Education Fund boosts scholarships by 39%, spends GH¢138k for 61 tertiary students

The Upper West Regional Chief Imam’s Educational Endowment Fund has paid GH¢138,536 in school fees for 61 brilliant but financially disadvantaged students for the 2026/2027 academic year.

This represents 38.6 per cent increase in beneficiaries over the previous academic year.

The beneficiaries, selected from 75 applicants, are pursuing various programmes in tertiary institutions across the country, including medicine, pharmacy, engineering, education, law, business and information technology.

The Council Secretary of the Fund, Dr Seidu Moomin, announced this at a press conference at the forecourt of the Regional Chief Imam’s office in Wa on Sunday, October 25, 2026, during the formal introduction of the fifth cohort of beneficiaries.

He said the selection committee assessed all 75 applicants through face-to-face interviews on October 6 and 7, 2026, before recommending 61 candidates for support.

He said the Fund had fully settled the beneficiaries’ school fees as of October 23, 2026, with payment vouchers and receipts issued to facilitate their enrolment in their respective institutions.

The latest figure represents an increase from 44 beneficiaries in the 2025/2026 academic year, reflecting the Fund’s expanding efforts to improve access to tertiary education for financially disadvantaged students.

Dr Moomin said the Fund was established to respond to growing appeals from parents and guardians seeking financial assistance for their children in tertiary institutions, particularly amid poverty and low educational attainment among sections of Muslim communities in the Upper West Region.

The Fund was formally inaugurated on October 13, 2022, with the objective of providing annual scholarship assistance to at least 50 brilliant but needy students, subject to the availability of funds.

Since its establishment, it has supported 16 students in the 2022/2023 academic year, 27 in 2023/2024, 47 in 2024/2025 and 44 in 2025/2026.

The breakdown of the 61 beneficiaries shows that 34 are males and 27 are females. Forty-six are new beneficiaries, while 15 are continuing recipients of the scholarship.

Education-related programmes account for the largest share, with 21 students, representing 34.4 per cent of the total. Medicine, pharmacy and other health sciences account for 12 beneficiaries, while 10 students are pursuing engineering and built-environment programmes.

The remaining beneficiaries are enrolled in social sciences and other programmes, business and management, computer science and information technology, fashion and design, and law.

Although the Fund primarily targets brilliant but financially disadvantaged students, Dr Moomin said the assessment process was designed to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability.

He explained that academic performance was assessed through semester or trimester results for continuing beneficiaries and West African Senior School Certificate Examination results for new applicants.

Financial need was evaluated through structured interviews examining applicants’ family backgrounds, sources of support and difficulties in meeting educational expenses. Committee members also conducted home visits to verify information provided by applicants and confirm their socio-economic circumstances.

Dr Moomin expressed gratitude to individuals, organisations, communities, political party representatives, Islamic organisations and businesses that have contributed financially and materially towards sustaining the initiative.

He, however, appealed for continued support from donors and other stakeholders to enable the Fund to assist more students as demand for educational assistance grows.

He said the contributions went beyond the payment of school fees, describing them as investments in human potential, knowledge and the future of communities in the Upper West Region.

The Upper West Regional Chief Imam’s Educational Endowment Fund was established under the leadership of the Regional Chief Imam, Imam Alhaji Osman Mahama Kanihi, who assumed office on November 28, 2019.

The Fund says its broader objective is to empower academically talented students facing financial difficulties and help bridge educational gaps within communities in the region.

By Ibrahim Wangara Abubakari