An eleven (11) member delegation from the Higher Education Students Loan Board (HESLB), Tanzania, has on Tuesday, 21st February, 2023, undertook a day study tour at the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Secretariat, Accra.
The head of the delegation Dr. Kennedy Hosea, Director of Higher Education at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, in his remarks said, the team is here to understudy the operations of GETFund as it learns to improve the activities of HESLB by way of picking lessons from the best practices from sister institutions in Africa.
‘It is time we Africans, particularly, those of us in the Sub Saharan Africa begin to learn and unlearn from each other’’. ‘’We must deepen the Pan African spirit by solving our own problems from within’’, he said.
The delegation was received by the Deputy Administrator of GETFund, Mr. Joseph Denteh, for and on behalf of the Administrator Dr. Richard Ampofo Boadu and the management of the Fund. Mr. Denteh briefed the team on the mandate and the primary operational activities of GETFund, its achievements, the challenges and the way forward. The Deputy Administrator said it was refreshing that Africans are beginning to demonstrate intra Africa institutional partnerships as the best approach in resolving issues which are inherently African in nature due to our similar socio political and economic situations.
Mr. Denteh recounted events leading to the establishment of the GETFund Act, Act 581 in 2000 which operationalized in June 2001. Mr. Denteh said the promulgation of the Act was a government initiative in resolving the issues of education financing, mainly, at the high education level in Ghana.
According to the Deputy Administrator, the Act 581 was crafted such, that GETFund receivables would be used in supplementing education financing at all the levels of education in Ghana.
He said, seventy percent (70%) of its operations go into projects financing in the schools, whereas, the rest go into, goods supplies that include furniture and vehicles to educational institutions. He again, informed the delegation, GETFund also provides funding to the Ghana’s Students Loan Trust Fund, the Scholarship Secretariat, Youth Employment Authority and all the agencies under the Ministry of Education.
Mr. Denteh concluded by saying, the GETFund also does support Ghanaians to improve and upgrade their skills and know-how both home and abroad.
Other members of the Tanzania delegation included the following officials;
- Benedicto Cosmas – Director of Planning, Research and ICT at HESLB
- Neema Kuwite – Director of Finance and Administration at HESLB
- George Mziray – Director of Loans Repayment and Recovery
- Tumainiel Mshomba – Director of Investigation and Audit
- Omega Ngole – Assistant Director and Head of Corporate Communication and Partnerships
- Gibson Mayani – Assistant Director – Human Resources and Administration
- Getrude Alphonce – Senior Loans Officer
- Jonathan Manhe – Partnerships Executive
- Francis Chuwa – Loans Officer
- Zephania Maduhu – Programme Officer, AAHEFA
The GETFund team also included;
- Ms. Naana Nsafoah Sarpong, Director Legal / Administration, GETFund
- Mr. Alexis K. Asuinura, Financial Controller, GETFund
- Mr. Godfred Shandolf, Acting Director Project, Monitoring and Evaluation, GETFund
- Mrs. Phillipa Ohenewaa Lamptey, Scholarships Unit, GETFund
- Mr. Godfred Owusu Jnr., Legal Officer, GETFund
- Mr. Isaac Asiedu-Odei, Public Relations Officer, GETFund