The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has responded to claims by Professor Edward Agyeman Dua, former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Audit Service, by formally requesting that he discloses the name of the institution that conferred his professorial title and the date of the appointment.

GTEC's demand follows a statement issued by Agyeman Dua to GhanaWeb on June 28, 2025, where he clarified that his title was attained through years of dedication to academia and hard work.

According to Agyeman Dua, a significant part of his professional life has been devoted to academic pursuits—teaching, conducting research, and publishing scholarly works—which, he argues, merit the professor title.

He further asserted that possessing a PhD is not a strict requirement for attaining the title of "Professor."

Instead, he maintained that the designation is often conferred upon individuals who have demonstrated outstanding expertise, significant contributions, and recognised achievements within their respective fields, noting that some professors are first-degree holders.

However, in a letter dated June 27, 2025, from GTEC (a follow-up to an earlier directive on June 17, 2025), the Commission highlighted several inconsistencies in Agyeman Dua’s claims.

GTEC noted that he claimed to have been appointed as a lecturer in 2004, despite obtaining his Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from GIMPA in 2009.

The Commission questioned whether he was lecturing at the time with only a first degree.

Furthermore, GTEC pointed out that although Agyeman Dua reportedly earned his PhD in Public Sector Audit and Tax Administration from Warnborough College, UK, in 2013, it remains unclear whether the same institution appointed him as a professor in 2014, and whether he had ever been promoted to the rank of senior lecturer or associate professor prior to that.

"As a senior lecturer, you moved to the Emile Woolf College of Accounting, Holborn, London. Which institution promoted you to the rank of a senior lecturer? Emile Woolf College of Accounting is not a university and cannot, therefore, appoint you to the rank of senior lecturer," GTEC stated.

"Furthermore, the Commission would like you to note that the only verifiable information about you at Warnborough College is when you graduated with your PhD in 2013. There is nothing about your appointment to the rank of a professor," the Commission added.

The institution is therefore demanding that Agyeman Dua promptly submit verified documentation from the appointing authority confirming when and by which institution he was conferred the title of professor.

"The Commission, therefore, requests formal submission of verifiable documentation from the appointing authority to confirm your professorial appointment. Note that the Education Regulatory Bodies Act of 2020 (Act 1023) mandates the Commission to investigate any individual suspected of using suspicious academic credentials, including professorship," GTEC reiterated.

This ongoing investigation by GTEC is part of a broader effort to sanitise the use of academic titles in Ghana, ensuring that prestigious ranks are not used without proper academic validation.

VKB/VPO

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