Accra, July 8, GNA - Mr. Akwasi Agyeman Agyare, Acting Head of Ghana's Mission in China, has congratulated Ghanaian students in China for their mutual understanding, cooperation and patience with the government during the difficult period of accessing remittances from the Scholarship Secretariat.

Mr Agyare praised the students for their maturity for being sympathetic with the government when the payment of their supplementary allowances was delayed this year.

He was speaking when he addressed a cross-section of students at the 21st Annual Congress of the National Union of Ghanaian Students, China (NUGS-CHINA) at Wuhan, Hubei Province, on July on Tuesday.

A statement from the Foreign Ministry said the Annual Congress was on theme: "Overcoming the Challenges Ghanaian Students Face in China - the Way Forward."

Mr Agyare assured the students that the government would not shirk her responsibilities, pointing out that a total of 2.63 million dollars had to be released by government for the immediate payment of scholarship claims of Ghanaian students studying abroad.

He urged the students to see their studies abroad as a challenge and not as a privilege, "as the government's objective was that young people are given quality education".

The Acting Head of Mission gave the assurance that the government would put in place the right measures to enhance the welfare of students abroad.

Mr Agyare called on the students to understand that China's re-emergence on the world stage as a major economic and political power had sparked a global interest in all things Chinese, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and advised medical students among them to pursue that discipline as a natural alternative to Western medicine.

He challenged the graduating students to put into practice the knowledge they had acquired in China for the sustainable socio-economic development of Ghana, "because Chinese government development assistance to Ghana has increased tremendously in the past few years and this is a reflection of the deepening bilateral cooperation between the two countries".

Mr Agyare advised the students to return to Ghana upon completion of their studies and to take advantage of the job opportunities that had been created with the increased presence of Chinese companies in Ghana.

"Now, more than ever, the technical skills as well as the Chinese language acquired, has created immense opportunities for students from China, and there is therefore no need to seek greener pastures elsewhere."

The Head of Mission congratulated the executives and members of NUGS-CHINA for the splendid organization of the 21st annual congress.