Brain drain and broken systems: Why Ghana loses its brightest scholars
When a congratulatory email reaches a young Ghanaian scholar, it often comes from abroad.
The sender is more likely to be a U.S. or European institution offering stipends, mentorship, and conference access benefits rarely found in local scholarships.
For many top students, such opportunities read less like invitations and more like fully mapped career plans.
Each acceptance strengthens the pull of global institutions and highlights the gaps in how Ghana funds and retains talent.
At home, support is limited. Domestic awards are oversubscribed, narrowly focused on tuition, and often lack living stipends or research funding.
Applicants describe opaque processes with short timelines, shifting requirements, and little feedback.
Without clear mentorship and funding for labs, journals, or fieldwork, strong candidates look outward.
Corporate and foundation-backed fellowships common abroad in engineering, health sciences, and agri-tech remain underdeveloped in Ghana.
Ph.D. student
Take, for example, Juliana Somuah, a Ph.D. student in Infrastructure & Environmental Systems at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Her research connects facility management, leadership training, and sustainable infrastructure.
She recently received the 2024 Buck Fisher Greater Triangle Scholarship from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Foundation in the U.S.—an award that includes an all-expenses-paid trip to the IFMA World Workplace Conference in Texas.
For her, it was both a career milestone and a reminder of the scarcity of such opportunities in Ghana.
At IFMA, Somuah works on high-profile studies including Insights into the Personalities of Facility Managers, Global Trends in Facility Management, and Blueprints of Behaviour: How
Top Facility Managers Lead, Collaborate and Innovate.
These projects feed into IFMA’s global benchmarking, shaping how large portfolios are managed and how professionals are classified.
AI-driven initiative
For Ghana, the implications are direct. Ministries, teaching hospitals, universities, factories, and logistics hubs all struggle with aging assets, rising energy costs, and skills gaps.
Benchmarking tools give local directors a way to measure performance and set realistic improvement goals.
The NAICS-aligned classification system also makes it easier for Ghanaian service firms to bid for multinational contracts using recognised standards.
Somuah’s current work an AI-driven initiative within IFMA Engage—illustrates the future of facility management.
By using AI to surface best practices and provide customised learning, the project narrows the gap between global standards and everyday practice.
Imagine an FM at a regional hospital in Tamale being able to quickly access maintenance strategies, anticipate equipment failures, and access bite-sized training—without waiting for an annual workshop in Accra.
Opportunities like Somuah’s remain rare for Ghanaian students.
While the intellectual talent is abundant, the support system lags behind.
Securing funding
Government and corporate funding for higher education fellowships are insufficient. Universities are underfunded, and private sector philanthropy in merit-based education is still nascent.
A Ghanaian student faces far greater challenges in securing funding for postgraduate studies than peers in North America or Europe.
As a result, many devote countless hours to navigating complex international applications where endowments are larger and support is comprehensive.
Organisations like the IFMA Foundation not only cover financial needs but also offer exposure, mentorship, and global networking.
The outcome is a steady brain drain. After excelling abroad, many graduates hesitate to return.
Host countries offer better pay, access to advanced technology, reliable funding, and clearer career paths.
This creates a cycle where Ghana nurtures talent at the undergraduate level, only to see advanced training and innovation labeled as “American-trained” or “European-trained”.
The nation contributes to the foundation but does not reap the full benefits of its investment.
Build stronger systems
To break the cycle, Ghana must build stronger systems of academic and professional support:
• Expand fellowships with full stipends, research budgets, and living allowances.
• Fund research-to-practice labs tied to national priorities in health, infrastructure, and energy.
• Create return grants and mentorship pipelines that encourage scholars abroad to bring their expertise home.
• Engage the private sector in sponsoring scholarships, internships, and applied research partnerships.
When awards cover not just tuition but also research, conferences, and living costs, scholars can remain competitive without leaving.
And when clear career paths exist at home, the nation shares in the dividends of its brightest minds.
