Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), has directed the leadership of the College of Community and Organisational Development (CCOD) in Sunyani to cancel its partnership arrangement with the University of Central Nicaragua (UCN) affiliated to the Texila America University.
In a letter issued and signed on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 by the Director General of GTEC, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai said GTEC as a regulator does not have evidence of Texila America University’s full accreditation in its home country, while the College of Community and Organisational Development was also yet to complete the processes leading to the granting of its institutional accreditation.
“In view of the foregoing, the Commission directs you to provide evidence of Texila America University accreditation, as well as the specific roles it had played in its affiliation with UCN.
“In the meantime, certificates awarded to graduands of programmes being offered in this partnership cannot be used in Ghana for purposes of employment, promotion or professional qualification until evidence of accreditation of the awarding institutions has been confirmed by GTEC,” it added.
According to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, its action follows information it received over the award of a PhD in Management to some individuals by the University of Central Nicaragua in affiliation with Texila America University in partnership with the CCOD in the country.
In a related development, GTEC in August 2024 revoked the institutional registration of OAA Consultation Ltd over similar breaches after it failed to adhere to the directives of GTEC.
The revocation letter signed August 7, 2024 by Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai stated that OAA Consulting Limited was registered to solely recruit students for OAA Universidad Empresarial De Costa Rica (UNEM), however, the institution recruited local faculty to teach programmes contrary to the terms of the earlier agreement between their institution and the former National Accreditation Board (NAB).
It also indicated that the degree programmes offered by the Universidad Empresarial De Costa Rica (UNEM) were not accredited by the regulatory body in its home country (Costa Rica).
It said that the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 Act (Act 1023) stated that “a person who operates tertiary institutions or runs a tertiary education programme that is not accredited, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 10,000 penalty units and not more than 20,000 penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years and not more than 20 years or both.”
It also stated that two academic institutions thus Faculty of Technology, Management and Applied Science, South Africa and Universal Trinity College, Florida, USA were not part of the package OAA submitted for the initial registration.
It indicated that the revocation of the institutional registration was that one of the qualifications of Prof. Allan Kwesi Asante-Yeboah, Doctor of Letters, was awarded by an unaccredited institution known as Universal Trinity College.
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission therefore asked “Prof. Allan Kwesi Asante-Yeboah to desist from using the Professorial title since there are no records to prove he was duly assessed by a recognised tertiary education institution to use that academic title.”
GTEC’s letter further stated that in the light of its actions, disregarding due processes in its registration in the past, OAA Consulting Limited has been directed to stop operating.
- Prof Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai