A Ghanaian citizen has asked the Governing Board of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to provide full details on the academic qualifications and professorial status of the Commission’s Director-General, Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai.
In a letter dated October 24, 2025, and submitted under the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), Mr Kwame Simpe Ofori said the request is being made “in the public interest” to promote transparency and accountability in Ghana’s higher education system.
He is asking the GTEC Board to disclose the type and title of Professor Abdulai’s highest academic degree, the awarding institution, the academic publications he submitted for his promotion to associate professor, and whether his elevation to full professor took place while he served at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) or during his secondment to GTEC.
Mr Ofori also wants copies of any curriculum vitae, official correspondence, or supporting documents held by GTEC confirming the Director-General’s academic credentials and scholarly achievements.
The letter further notes that independent searches conducted on academic indexing platforms such as Google Scholar, Scopus, and ResearchGate “revealed no publicly available peer-reviewed research output or scholarly citations linked to Professor Abdulai.”
According to him, this raises important questions about academic standards for leadership positions in tertiary education regulation.
“Since research productivity remains a fundamental requirement for the award of professorial status, clarification on this matter will reinforce confidence in the processes governing academic promotions and appointments within Ghana’s tertiary-education landscape,” the request stated.
Copies of the correspondence have been sent to the Minister for Education, the Chairman of the Public Services Commission, and the Vice-Chancellor of UEW.
Mr Ofori has requested that GTEC respond within the statutory timeline outlined under the Right to Information Act, which requires public institutions to provide timely access to requested information unless exempted under law.
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