Four GIMPA Law final year students, Two alumni receive scholarships to U.S. universities

Two alumni and four final-year students of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School have earned international recognition after receiving competitive scholarships to study advanced law programs in the United States.

The alumni—Grace Frederica Lutterodt and Joshua Wiafe Frimpong—will continue their studies at Fordham University School of Law in New York. 

The four current students, Kwame Afrifa Mensah, Adwoa Asantewaa Sintim, Ethel-Mina Aryee, and Fauziah Ibrahim, are headed to the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Law in Hartford.

The awards stem from GIMPA Law’s academic alliances with Fordham and UConn. These collaborations were established to create international study pathways, strengthen leadership development, and give Ghanaian students greater exposure to global legal education.

At Fordham, the two alumni have received full tuition scholarships under the longstanding partnership between GIMPA and the university’s Leitner Center for International Law and Justice. They will pursue Master of Laws (LL.M) degrees in International Law and Justice, gaining advanced knowledge and access to a diverse legal community that prepares them for leadership roles in governance and policy back home.

The UConn pathway, launched in 2023, offers GIMPA final-year students the opportunity to complete part of their LL.M while still pursuing their LL.B in Ghana. Once both requirements are met, graduates receive dual recognition — the LL.B from GIMPA and the LL.M from UConn. The program also provides merit scholarships of up to 50% of tuition fees for eligible students.

Beyond student exchanges, these partnerships allow for faculty mobility and joint academic initiatives. According to Professor Samuel K. Bonsu, Rector of GIMPA, the success of these students “reflects the strength of our graduates, the quality of our programs, and the benefits of partnerships that extend opportunities beyond our borders.”

The Fordham–Ghana Summer Law Program, hosted annually in Accra, has been central to this relationship. It exposes Ghanaian and international students to comparative legal traditions, human rights systems, and global justice debates. The associated Leitner Scholarships focus on building capacity in the Global South by supporting graduates who commit to returning to Ghana and contributing to legal education.

Notably, previous beneficiaries include Dr Kwaku Agyeman Budu (current Dean of GIMPA Law School), Hon. Diana Asonaba Dapaah (former Deputy Attorney General), and senior academics such as Dr Isidore Tuffour and Dr Enam Antonio. Each has gone on to shape policy, governance, and higher education in Ghana.

The UConn agreement, signed in 2023 by Dr Kwaku Agyeman-Budu and Professor Eboni Nelson, further cements GIMPA Law’s global outlook. The deal allows several LL.B, LL.M students, and alumni to spend up to one academic year in Connecticut, broadening their expertise in international and comparative law.