John Dramani Mahama is the President of Ghana
John Dramani Mahama has launched the Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities initiative at the University of Professional Studies, Accra, reaffirming his administration’s dedication to creating an inclusive and equitable education system that leaves no Ghanaian behind.
The initiative, themed “Disability Not Inability: Advancing Inclusive Access to Higher Education under the Reset Agenda,” forms part of the government’s broader “No Fees Stress” policy, which aims to eliminate financial barriers to higher education across Ghana.
Speaking at the event on Friday, October 24, 2025, President Mahama described the policy as a landmark step toward ensuring that every Ghanaian, irrespective of financial status, gender or physical ability, can access quality tertiary education without the burden of fees.
“The implementation of this initiative will be led by the revamped Students Loan Trust Fund, which is now modernised and digitalised to ensure transparency, efficiency and sustainability,” President Mahama said.
“…This initiative is not an act of charity; it is an act of justice and equality,” he said.
He added, “Every district and municipal assembly will establish disability desks which will integrate disability issues into the district assemblies Development bank.
“We will also enforce a minimum five percent employment quota for persons with disabilities across our public and private sectors”.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF), Dr Saajida Shiraz, described the policy as “a testament to the President’s unwavering commitment to inclusivity and equity in education,” adding that it marks “a significant milestone in government’s efforts to empower persons with disabilities through education.”
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Dr Shiraz announced that, based on lessons from the pilot phase of the “No Fees Stress” initiative, students with disabilities will no longer need to apply directly to the SLTF.
Instead, public tertiary institutions will provide verified lists of eligible students through the SLTF’s Tertiary Institutions Portal for direct disbursement of full fees.
“We are grateful to our partner institutions public universities, technical universities, colleges of education, health training institutions and colleges of agriculture for agreeing to insulate persons with disabilities completely from the stress of fees,” Dr Shiraz stated.
The government has earmarked GH₵499.8 million for the “No Academic Fees” policy and GH₵40 million specifically for the “Free Tertiary Education for Persons with Disabilities” initiative.
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