You never harassed me - University of Ghana VC accuser backtracks

The CEO of Africa Integras, Andrea Pizziconi has denied accusing the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro-Owusu, of sexually harassing her.

In the wake of the explosive documentary on “sex for grades” by the BBC which included Ghana’s premier university, Pizziconi shared a tweet suggesting her company’s US$64m infrastructure investment at UG suffered as a result of a sex scandal.

“I have remained mostly quiet despite the battery of attacks by Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu on my dignity. I was advised not to make waves and definitely not to raise the #metoo flag if I wanted to put the project back on track, which I do. Now I feel compelled to speak up and draw a direct line between this sex scandal and our derailed project,” her post read.

Prof Ebenezer Oduro-Owusu has since denied the allegation of sexually harassing the woman.

Andrea Pizziconi also beat a retreat three days later and blamed the media for misrepresentation.

She remarked on Thursday evening: “I agree that you never harassed me. Nor did I ever say as much. Surely, you are aware of the difference of headlines and the article’s substance, the latter of which accurately reflects my previous statement.”

Andrea Pizziconi however appeared bitter about how Prof. Oduro-Owusu handled the project and comments the professor made suggesting she did not get the contract on merit.

“Furthermore, if that is your thinking to imply that I had some desire to influence you in any other way than with merits of the facts of the project’s benefits, this is precisely why I made my statement.

“…It is long overdue that women are treated as serious business people (or serious students in the case of sex for grades) and not bodies of sex to be exploited or dismissed.”

Read her full statement below

Professor:

I agree that you never harassed me. Nor did I ever say as much. Surely, you are aware of the difference of headlines and the article’s substance, the latter of which accurately reflects my previous statement. Of course, I requested that we meet alone to discuss the project at least once during the various stages of the two years when we tried to help you remedy your willful default on the project. We are business people. I expect, as business pad-nets, it is quite the common protocol for the two highest decision makers to meet and have a straight talk about the issues on the table. It seems you may have thought that I wanted to meet you alone for the devilish reasons that you suggest and that you implied that day in the council meeting (with the former VC present rather than myself) when you suggested that I used my womanly prowess rather than my brain and unique expertise in university development to close this monumental project. Indeed, you have passionately and bizarrely insinuated these allegations (despite my cordial silence) through your many blasphemous press releases and meetings focused almost exclusively on questioning my credibility including embarking on an EOCO investigation against myself and the former VC to attempt to prove that anything other than the merits of the project’s vast benefits were at the heart of the decision to advance the project into construction. These efforts have yielded not a shred of evidence that any stakeholder has acted in any untoward way to execute the project. There is, however, the obvious fact of my credibility that the buildings (and the tens of millions of dollars in investment they represent) are there on the ground for anyone to inspect. In shod, I delivered on my obligations for the project. It was you who did not.

Furthermore, if that is your thinking to imply that I had some desire to influence you in any other way than with merits of the facts of the project’s benefits, this is precisely why I made my statement. The issues of sex for grades and the dismissal of a significant development partner because the company happens to be led by a “far too pretty…” CEO is related. It is long overdue that women are treated as serious business people (or serious students in the case of sex for grades) and not bodies of sex to be exploited or dismissed. Surely, you have met many businessmen one-on-one over the years. There is nothing inappropriate by such a request. In fact, it was offered as a gesture of respect to allow you to save face, as you seemed to struggle to grasp the major elements of what is admittedly a complex project. This became clear after the many misleading statements you’ve made about the rent through the years. In fact, what I do recall are the dozen trips I made to Accra when you refused to receive me in any capacity only to finally hold one public meeting at which you remarked that I should not “…worry my [pretty] little head about the project”. I hope, at least, you do not deny those remarks, as they were made in front of others and I repeated them immediately to many stakeholders at the time who can confirm as much. They were so shockingly dismissive in light of the high stakes losses UG was facing at the time if the project terminated.