Russia Doubles Scholarships for Ghanaian Students to 240 After Historic Visa Waiver Agreement

• Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced the scholarship increase during his official visit to Russia
• The full scholarships will prioritise courses in AI, engineering, petroleum sciences and pharmaceuticals
• Ghana and Russia also agreed to advance cooperation on nuclear energy, with Ghana targeting 700 MW of nuclear power capacity

Ghana's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced that Russia has doubled its annual scholarship allocation for Ghanaian students from 120 to 240, effective from the current academic year.

Okudzeto Ablakwa made the announcement on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, via a Facebook post during his ongoing official visit to Moscow.

The fully funded scholarships will focus on high-priority disciplines, including artificial intelligence, engineering, petroleum sciences and pharmaceuticals, areas Ghana has identified as critical to its long-term development agenda.

Ghana and Russia deepen energy, security ties

Beyond education, the two countries reached an agreement to advance cooperation in Ghana's peaceful nuclear energy programme.

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Ghana is pursuing energy diversification plans that include the addition of 700 MW of nuclear power to its national grid, and Russia will play a role in supporting that transition alongside the country's broader green energy objectives.

The two nations also committed to working together on global challenges, including counterterrorism, climate change mitigation and United Nations reform efforts.

The announcement came after Ghana and Russia signed a historic first-ever visa waiver agreement on Monday, August 17, 2026, marking a significant milestone in bilateral relations that date back to 1958.

The new agreement signed by Okudzeto Ablakwa and Sergei Lavrov covers holders of diplomatic and service passports and is expected to ease movement for Ghanaian and Russian officials travelling on diplomatic and service passports, removing bureaucratic barriers that previously applied to this category of travellers.

The Facebook post of Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa's announcement is below:

Ghanaians react to the Russia scholarship increment

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The minister's post drew considerable attention online, with many Ghanaians weighing in on both the scholarship boost and the nuclear energy cooperation agreement.

YEN.com.gh has compiled reactions from social media users below:

George Carlos Eshun stated:

"Great. We need cheaper sources of energy to anchor our industrialisation drive. Nuclear energy offers the best pathway. Our smelter, Valco, and the whole integrated aluminium industry need this to thrive."

Ibrahim Allazii remarked:

"That is commendable. But it is sometimes intriguing to know what we are giving in return. Well!"

Mondli Samwell added:

"These programmes must create a lot of opportunities for Ghanaians and make Ghana more attractive to Ghanaians so that the South African Government will be relieved of the heavy burden of this continent whose dictators aren't caring for their people."

Okudzeto Ablakwa shares update on deceased Ghanaian

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported on Okudzeto Ablakwa's update on the tragic return of the bodies of Ghanaian nationals who fell victim to xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The Foreign Affairs Minister expressed the government’s commitment to ensuring the safe repatriation of the remaining victim while honouring those who lost their lives in the heartbreaking violence.

Source: YEN.com.gh