From the north to the south, east to the west, talent abounds. So, quite obviously, there is talent aplenty in our tertiary institutions.
Similar to numerous other higher education establishments, the University of Ghana boasts a multitude of individuals who have acquired knowledge and subsequently achieved remarkable accomplishments.
Aspiring individuals step into these tertiary institutions carrying a sack full of dreams, driven by the singular purpose of acquiring knowledge that will shape their futures. This pursuit is often motivated by a desire to either carry forward a familial legacy or rewrite the narrative of their families’ histories.
Numerous tertiary institutions in Ghana are renowned for their strengths in the fields of sciences, social sciences, and humanities. However, only a handful of them have managed to effectively integrate sports and diverse academic disciplines.
Among the universities in Ghana, a few provide a unique chance for students to blend their athletic pursuits with a wide range of academic subjects. Notably, the University of Ghana has emerged as a standout in this aspect over the past ten years.
Through the University of Ghana Sports Fund, commonly referred to as UG-PAAS, sportsmen and women who meet the academic requirements are enrolled in the school to motivate, support and facilitate their education.
The University of Ghana Sports Fund, also known as the UG-PAAS was first introduced in 2016 with the aim of helping needy but brilliant sportsmen gain a higher level of education while competing at the highest level.
The scholarship, known as the University of Ghana Sports Fund (UGSF) is awarded on an annual basis and is available to undergraduate students only; both fresh and continuing students.
Over the last few years, the likes of Benjamin Azamati (sprinter), Isaac Botsio (sprinter), Rasheed Abdul Saminu (sprinter), Grace Obour (sprinter), Benjamin Azumah (volleyball), Elvis Andey Inuu (volleyball), and Millicent Ankude (table tennis) have all been beneficiaries of this programme.
I paid a visit to the University of Ghana Sports Directorate under which this special initiative is run to find out how prospective students can get this educational opportunity.
The Senior Assistant Registrar for the Sports Directorate, Mr. Augustine Amissare, explains to me how Senior High School graduates can benefit and tap into this special programme, which is the first and only of its kind in Ghana.
“We are very deliberate about how we get our athletes into our programme. Through the UG-PASS, these prospective students get admission and, until recently, we go to the very regions to identify and recruit these students. So we work with them from SHS and when they pass the test, we give them the scholarship, and they come here,” he started.
“University of Ghana is such that we will never back down on the minimum requirement, regardless of your talent in sports. So when we identify you, and you meet the requirement then we will support you here. This scholarship is given to exceptional talents, and we continue with their training,” he added.
To have a better understanding of this special programme, I also spoke to the Director of Sports of the University of Ghana, Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu, and he provided some more insight on the initiative.
According to Dr. Bitugu, the UG-PAAS was formed based on a “concerted effort, focused vision, delayed consumption and patient and silent investment” into the lives of these student-athletes to help them reach their maximum potential.
Emmanuel Bruce-Okai, the Head of Athletics at the University of Ghana, explains how students are scouted, and how the school helps them gain admission and secure the scholarship.
“The first thing we look out for is performance. We know at that level they are raw talent and they don’t have much training. Then we look at the skill before we recruit them for the first stage. From there, we consider the person’s academics because, at the University of Ghana, we will not compromise on the academic requirement, no matter how talented you are,” he said.
So if an individual meets these two standards, we are good to go but it is not that straightforward. Many are also enticed by other schools but we do our very best to the very best of the lot, to compliment our programme and give them the right conditions to grow,” he added.
To Aziz Mohammed, a former student of Mfantsipim School, the UG-PAAS initiative appealed to him because of the glaring opportunity to get a scholarship outside the country in order to help him harness his talent and become one of Ghana’s long distant sprinters.
“I will say the UG-PASS is unique. I was scouted in my final year in Mfantsipim School after competing in the Super Zonals and I was then picked then entered the first stage and subsequently I met the requirement set by the school,” he said.
“However, the main reason I worked hard for this was because many people use this initiative as means to leave the country and harness their craft and that really has been my aim,” he added.
I also spoke to Isaac Botsio, a former beneficiary of the UG-PAAS initiative who is now at West Texas A&M in the United States because of the programme.
“I will say the University of Ghana is doing tremendous work for athletes in Ghana through the UG-PASS initiative, and supporting the dreams of these students. As you know, I am a beneficiary of this and today, I am in the USA, with Texas A&M,” he stated.
“I was first scouted in 2020, and in my race, I was fourth but they saw something in me. Coach Elorm picked me, worked with me, trained me and helped me get the UG-PASS scholarship and today, I am where I am because of the belief the school had in me,” he added.
Some of these qualified student-athletes, who get into the UG-PAAS, make the most of this opportunity and after at least three years, transfer to schools across the world to fine-tune their sporting abilities.
The likes of Benjamin Azamati and Isaac Botsio are shining examples of this and are making waves in the United States of America. Azamati, for instance, is Ghana’s best 100m sprinter, and he is still in school.
However, while these students get to live their dreams and achieve big things, the University of Ghana loses out ultimately.
Dr. Bella Bello Bitugu reveals the headache the school experiences in losing their top athletes to schools across the globe and what measures they have put in place to also benefit from their departure.
We have been working around this problem for a while now, and we have tried to address it. In this particular year, we lost seven of our top athletes and it is never an easy thing because we also need to compete.
We have realized this problem so now before we bring you on the UG-PASS, in conjunction with senior management and the legal arm of the school, there is a clause in these contracts of these students to help us benefit in one way or another. This benefit is not only in cash, but it comes in the form of collaboration with the school these students will go to where they can train our staff and help us with equipment, among other things.
Despite the challenges of this initiative, and the threat of schools across the world poaching students, there is no doubt about the immense importance and impact of the UG-PAAS, and how that has helped Ghana get the best of sporting talent. If you doubt the impact, have a look at BENJAMIN AZAMATI.
