The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Thomas Mbomba has met all stakeholders involved in the temporary resettlement of stranded Ghanaian students from Ukraine in Hungary.

Participants in that meeting included the Honorary Consul, Mr. Boldizsar Peter Entz, Mr. Kpodo, an architect, an elder from the Church of Pentecost, Mr. Kwesi Asemanyi, consular officers from The Ghana Mission in Berlin, Berne, and Vienna, who were on the ground to assist in the evacuation exercise.

He stated that, "I am here on the instructions of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to have firsthand information about the plight of the students and to advise government on how best to assist our stranded compatriots to return to Ghana."

In the meantime, as government contemplates a long term solution to their predicament depending on the outcome of the situation in Ukraine, Mr. Mbomba expressed gratitude to the stakeholders for their efforts in ensuring the safety and comfort of the students.

The various stakeholders took turns to brief the Deputy Minister on what has transpired prior to his arrival.

The Honorary Consul intimated that as of 2nd March, 2022, 205 Ghanaian students had entered Hungary following the unfortunate events in Ukraine.

A number of individuals and organisations subsequently came to the aid of the students by providing them with accommodation and essential supplies to take care of their immediate needs.

He praised the efforts of "a Hungarian company with business interests in Ghana, Purico, with operations in Kumasi and Tamale, which graciously offered accommodation to 25 Ghanaian students, while a Nigerian-Ghanaian businessman, provided shelter for more than 30 students."

He added that ordinary Hungarians were also assisting in taking in Ghanaian students. The Honorary Consul however expressed concern that the offer of accommodation to our compatriots is "for a limited period and the students are expected to make arrangements to leave such facilities after about four days to make way for new refugees."

He then suggested that the Ministry on behalf of the government of Ghana may wish to write officially to the Hungarian authorities to seek their assistance for all Ghanaian students who may be transiting in Hungary.

On his part, Mr. Kpodo said, during the early stages of the conflict, when there was a regular trickle of Ghanaian students into Hungary, he stepped in for the Honorary Consul, who was at the time in the United Arab Emirates.

He stated that he worked closely with the leadership of the Ghana students union and the Church of Pentecost, with the latter offering its place of worship to accommodate the stranded students. 

He, therefore, called for recognition of the critical role the two bodies played by the government of Ghana.

He cautioned that students in Hungary on government scholarships were unhappy because their stipends had not been paid, and he asked the Deputy Minister to intervene to help salvage the situation.

He disclosed that at least eight students were on the verge of being ejected from their hostels by the end of the month due to their inability to pay their rent and called on the government to come to their aid.

On his part, the President of the Ghana Students Union in Hungary, Mr. Gabriel Asante, stated that when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started, he was informed by the Honorary Consul of the decision of the Hungarian government to allow entry of refugees fleeing the conflict into its territory on humanitarian grounds. He subsequently contacted the Church of Pentecost to allow for its premises to be used as a holding facility.

He joined Mr. Kpodo in calling for the recognition of the efforts of such organizations and individuals by the government of Ghana.

He expressed concern that most students fleeing the violence in Ukraine were unfortunately not ready to return to Ghana.

He then informed the Deputy Minister that he had since compiled a list of two groups of students, including those who are willing to return to Ghana and those who have chosen to stay in Hungary for now, with the latter group comprising a 40 students.

He disclosed that their immediate concern now is the 93 students currently being holed up in a school in Ukraine near the Russia-Ukraine border. He said due to the high risk of attack, they were being advised to remain in bunkers for their own safety.

The student leader, in reference to a press release by his office on the non-payment of their monthly stipends by the Scholarships Secretariat, urged that urgent steps be taken to avert ejection of many of the students from their hostels, as their rent payments were due by the middle of March, 2022.

Subsequently, the Deputy Minister visited a number of shelters housing Ghanaian students.

He began his visit at the Church of Pentecost, an underground structure housing a large number of stranded Ghanaian and other African students.

There, he informed the students that the government of Ghana is deeply concerned about their welfare and safety, and as such, he had been delegated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to visit them to have firsthand information about their plight and to reaffirm the commitment of the government of Ghana to assist all students currently stranded in Hungary, Romania and Poland, as well as those who were still at the epicentre of the conflict in Ukraine, to return safely to Ghana, as government contemplates long term solution to their plight,taking into account the unfolding situation in that country.

The Deputy Minister praised the students for their courage and bravery in organizing themselves to flee the conflict in Ukraine

He informed the students that the Government of Ghana has put in place a team to identify all those who are ready and willing to return to Ghana to be provided with air tickets to do so.

He said this exercise is being carried out in concert with the student leadership in Ukraine, who was compiling the list of such students and urged them to take advantage of the opportunity to return to Ghana.

He assured them that they would still have the opportunity to return to Ukraine when the situation normalises.

He reminded the students that the humanitarian permit granted them by the Hungarian government is a temporary one and limited to their stay in Hungary only, and not the wider Schengen region.

He added that per that regulation, they are expected to return to their country within the shortest possible time, as failure to do so will make them illegal immigrants in Hungary; that could have negative consequences for them.

With regards to the delay in payment of stipends of Ghanaian students based in Hungary, Mr Mbomba assured the students that everything is being done to mobilize funds to pay them as soon as possible.

He used the opportunity to express the gratitude of the government of Ghana to all stakeholders who have played various roles, ranging from the provision of basic supplies to transportation to safety and accommodation of the students in Hungary.

The Deputy Minister also visited three other shelters, including Kulker Hotel, Torokbalint Koran Munkacsy communication centre and Semmelweis University and interacted with Ghanaian students, where similar concerns were raised

Concerns of the students

The students expressed concern that government was slow in coming to their aid; as they had to make private arrangements to get into Hungary by themselves

The students sought to know what government is doing to rescue their colleagues who are still trapped in Sumy, near the Russian border.

They called for assurances that arrangements would be made by the government of Ghana to integrate them into institutions in Ghana for them to continue their education, particularly, the medical students who are on the verge of completing their programmes of study;

Others are concerned about the retrieval of their original certificates that were deposited with their universities in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, of the 18 students, whose air tickets were purchased to enable them depart Budapest on Friday, 4th March 2022, for Accra, only three, indicated their readiness to return. Efforts were being made to co-opt some students from a new list of 40 people, who had indicated their willingness to return to Ghana to be on the flight.

It was disclosed that 14 students out of the 93 in Sumy managed to arrange for transport and were on their way to Hungary as of Thursday, 3rd March, 2022.

The reluctance of some of the students to return to Ghana may be due to a purported offer by some Hungarian universities to offer them admissions to complete their studies in that country. Officials of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry contacted by the Honorary Consul could not confirm that, as the official position of the government of Hungary.

The Mayor of Torokbalint city, Ho. Elek Sandor, following a request by Dr. John Sessi, who is an oil engineer and a General Manager of Fromm Hungary Ltd, based in Budapest, made available the Torokbalint Koran Munkacsy communication centre to accommodate Ghanaian and other African students.

The Mayor met with Mr. Mbomba as he was interacting with the Ghanaian students.

He expressed the deep appreciation of the Government of Ghana to him, personally, and to the Hungarian government for opening the Church of Pentecost premises as the main facility and received donations of various items from benevolent organizations and individuals.

The leadership of the Ghana Students Union in Hungary arranged to get essential supplies from that facility to the other students being accommodated in the other three shelters. As of yesterday, the students appeared to have enough supply of food, clothing, sanitary items and other essentials.

The Deputy Minister disclosed his intension to make a modest donation of $500 to the managers of the Pentecost Church to help take care of the Ghanaian students at the church.

Based on the advice of the Ghana Mission in Prague, a dinner or lunch will be organized on Friday for the benefit of the students in Budapest, and subsequently, Bucharest and Warsaw.

The Deputy Minister is scheduled to meet with the Ambassador of Hungary to Ghana later on Friday.                                   

Pureco, a Hungarian private company with business interest in Ghana is hosting about 25 Ghanaian students in the Kulker Hotel at their own expense.

The company was also in discussions with a number of universities to take on board some of the students to finish their studies.

The CEO of the company however indicated that he could not guarantee that something productive could come out of the discussions.

The delegation also took a four-hour journey to the Hungary-Ukraine border on Friday 4th March, 2022, to have firsthand information on the happenings at the border.