GTEC puts UCC dealings on hold until VC Boampong exits office

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has suspended the processing of all major requests from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) due to a dispute over the tenure of its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong.

Boampong remains in office despite having exceeded the compulsory retirement age. GTEC stated in a letter on Monday that UCC’s Governing Council has been under a High Court injunction since October 2024, preventing it from taking decisions on Boampong’s appointment.

GTEC will no longer handle requests from UCC related to accreditation, government salary subventions, GETFund support, book and research allowances, recruitment clearance, or post-retirement contracts until the university complies with its directive.

GTEC recently instructed Boampong to relinquish his position, citing Article 199(1) of Ghana’s constitution and the University of Cape Coast Act, which require public officers to retire at the age of 60.

GTEC also referenced the university’s statutes, which cap the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure at four years, renewable for three, within the retirement limit.

In the meantime, GTEC has appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto to serve as Acting Vice-Chancellor.

GTEC also directed the Governing Council to suspend any attempts to appoint a substantive Vice-Chancellor until a pending court case is resolved.

A search of GTEC’s website revealed that UCC had been removed from the list of recognized public universities.