{
  "id": 8245169,
  "title": "Students Loan Trust disburses GH¢600m this year—CEO",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/students-loan-trust-disburses-gh-600m-this-year-ceo",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-18T12:25:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/students-loan-trust-disburses-gh%c2%a2600m-this-year-ceo/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) disbursed approximately GH¢600 million in the current fiscal year towards its various initiatives, including the Students' Loan, Students Loan Plus, allowances for teacher trainees, no academic fees, and free tertiary education for persons with disabilities, according to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SLTF, Dr Saadija Shiraz. During a joint press conference at the Sixth AAHEFA International Conference in Accra, Dr Shiraz highlighted that the fund anticipates a significant increase to nearly GH¢800 million in the upcoming academic year. She attributed the success of these initiatives to the government's support, noting that last year, they received over GH¢1 billion in funding due to the prioritization of education and tertiary education financing by President John Dramani Mahama. Dr Shiraz further announced that the SLTF had disbursed 169,000 student allowances this year, with projections of 175,000 students for the remainder of the year. The trust fund is leveraging technology to streamline its operations, encouraging beneficiaries to upload affidavits on the SLTF portal for verification before disbursement. The CEO also projected that, based on a 25 percent increase, the SLTF aims to serve approximately 200,000 beneficiaries and handle around 80,000 loan applications for the 2026-2027 academic year, including the introduction of a fully digitalized loan system. Dr Machayi, President of the Association of African Higher Education Financing Agencies (AHEFA), emphasized the importance of viewing higher education funding as an investment in human capital, urging African governments to prioritize the skills required in their respective nations. He also acknowledged the critical role of technology and data in enhancing student financing systems.",
  "summary": "The Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) spent about GH¢ 600 million in the implementation of its portfolios this year, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SLTF, Dr Saadija Shiraz, has said.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "GBC Ghana",
        "title": "Students Loan Trust disburses GH¢600m this year — CEO",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/students-loan-trust-disburses-gh-600m-this-year-ceo-8245306",
        "published": "2026-09-18T12:27:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "Students Loan Trust disburses GH¢600m in 2026 – CEO",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/students-loan-trust-disburses-gh-600m-in-2026-ceo",
        "published": "2026-09-18T13:37:46.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}