How GIMPA Boss Made Himself A Prof.

Whilst appointments to the professor grade in every tertiary institution worth its name in Ghana is by an appointment letter, Dr. Stephen Adei, the Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), appointed himself to that grade on a piece of handwritten paper he handed down to his office staff as a draft memo to be issued directing that he should be referred to as `Professor.`

Investigations conducted by this paper have revealed that sometime in 2003, Dr. Adei issued a draft memo (see elsewhere in this issue for the original professor memo in Dr. Adei`s handwriting) in the name of the then Operations Manager of GIMPA, Mr. Emmanuel Cabutey-Adodoadji which read thus:

To: ALL STAFF

From: OPERATIONS MANAGER

Subject: OFFICIAL REFERENCE TO MEMBERS OF FRONT DESK

There seems to be confusion regarding the designation of members of the Front Desk. Please note the official designation:

(1)Head of Institute:

Title: Rector and Director General

Incumbent: Prof. Stephen Adei, PhD

(2) Head of The Office of The Director General and `Chief of Staff`

Title: Operations Manager (OM)

Incumbent: Mr. Emmanuel Cabutey-Adodoadji

(3) Support Team:

(a) Title: Personal Assistant to Rector Incumbent: Mr. Kweku Aidoo

(b)Title: Secretary and Typesetter (?) Incumbent: Miss Alice Adongo

All units are to take note.

Regards`

Dr. Adei minuted on the draft memo thus `ECA (Emmanuel Cabutey-Adodoadji) to issue a notice along similar lines`. With this draft memo, Dr. Adei got the staff in his front office (part of the office of the Rector of GIMPA) and all units of GIMPA to start referring to him as `Professor.`

Since GO stumbled on this piece of paper, questions that have popped up more than clearly confirm that Dr. Adei`s so-called professorship is self-awarded and was not under the authority of any Council of GIMPA. Usually reliable GIMPA sources told GO that in any tertiary institution worth its name, appointments/promotions to the professor rank are on the authority of the council/management of the institution and are issued on that authority by the Registrar.

Meanwhile allegations of high-handedness, crudeness in HR relations and other `unacademic` traits of Dr. Stephen Adei are popping up like buoys in the quay area of any harbour worth its name. The GIMPA Council as the governing body is inundated with petitions and various accusations against the personal and administration style which even the Hottentots of Namibia, (where Dr. Adei was UNDP Resident Director before he came to GIMPA in October, 1999) will not tolerate under any guise.

A roll of staff who have left GIMPA under bizarre circumstances under Dr. Adei, during his eight year tenure as Rector, four of which have been without a contract reveal quality academic and non-academic staff who have had to either resign or been dismissed which we reproduce below. Motive? Adei could not just stand the professional competence of most of them and had to place impediments in the paths of some of them.