• New teacher training college planned in underserved western region
• Project backed by government, GTEC, and Ghana Gas partnership
• Initiative targets low certification rates and education funding gaps

Ghana is taking a new step in its education policy, particularly in some of the country’s most underserved areas. On March 31, Minister of Education Haruna Iddrisu announced an agreement in principle to establish a teacher training college in Ezinlibo, in the Jomoro municipality in the west of the country. The project aims to provide this historically isolated region with an educational facility that can expand access to teacher training.

Balancing budget constraints with strategic partnerships

The project’s financing is based on a tripartite partnership. The Ministry of Education, working with the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), is leading the policy dimension, while Ghana Gas is contributing as part of its corporate social responsibility commitments. This model reflects an approach the country is seeking to scale up in response to budget constraints.

The minister said the government has strong arguments to support this initiative. Ghana Gas CEO Judith Adjoaba Blay noted that the meeting was intended to discuss the policy direction and overall framework of the project, ahead of technical discussions to define operational requirements.

Scheduled to become operational in 2027, the college originated from a citizen-led initiative. It was a proposal submitted by the Nzema Academia and Educationalist Association that triggered the process, Blay recalled.

Addressing underinvestment to strengthen the education system

The context underscores the urgency of the initiative. The Ministry of Education’s 2025 budget shows that the gross enrollment rate in higher education stands at 19.6%, well below the 25% target set for 2026. On the ground, fewer than 51% of primary school teachers are certified, with significant disparities between urban and rural areas. In 2024, only 6,596 teachers obtained certification out of 42,538 candidates who sat for the national qualification exam.

This gap is partly due to persistent underinvestment. According to The Borgen Project, public education spending declined from 4.3% of GDP in 2020 to 3.1% in 2023, below the 4–6% benchmark recommended by UNESCO.

To address these challenges, Ghana is accelerating efforts to mobilize alternative funding. In February 2025, it launched, in partnership with UNICEF, a $2.23 million grant from the Global Partnership for Education to strengthen institutional capacity and improve education planning through December 2027.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou