The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on the misuse of academic titles, formally directing eight high-profile individuals to cease using titles such as “Dr.” and “Professor” that they have not earned through accredited academic processes.
The directive is part of GTEC’s ongoing effort to uphold academic integrity and protect the value of legitimate higher education titles in Ghana. In a series of letters issued between June and July 2025, the Commission has instructed these individuals to provide credible proof of academic conferment—or stop using the titles entirely.
Among those cited are two Members of Parliament—Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunor (Awutu Senya East) and Desmond De‑Graft Paitoo (Gomoa East)—both of whom have been told to drop the title “Dr.” unless they can verify that they earned doctoral degrees through recognized institutions.
Sofo Rashid Tanko‑Computer, Acting CEO of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), also received a directive on June 3, 2025, to stop using “Dr.” due to lack of verifiable academic qualifications.
Similarly, Dr. Nuhu Zakaria, CEO of the National Ambulance Service, has been warned to stop using the title “Professor” in the absence of formal promotion to that rank. The same fate befell Kwame Adom‑Frimpong of the Internal Audit Agency, who has also been instructed to cease using “Professor.”
Perhaps most notable among the list is Samuel Ato Duncan, Board Chairman of the Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC), who was reminded in a July 17, 2025 letter that he had failed to respond to an earlier directive to stop using the title “Professor.” GTEC reiterated its call for him to remove the title from all official and public references unless he can produce credible evidence of a professorial appointment.
Two additional individuals—Williams Abayaawien Atuilik (of Heritage Christian University) and Edward Dua Agyeman (former Chair of the Ghana Audit Service Board)—were also told in June 2025 to validate or relinquish the use of “Professor.”
