Power play at "Non Existing UCC" as Reputation Soiled

GTEC Sanctions UCC, Declares Institution “Non-Existent” Over VC Tenure Dispute

September 22, 2025

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has imposed sweeping sanctions on the University of Cape Coast (UCC), suspending all government-related support and services to the institution and declaring it “non-existent” on its official portal.

In a statement issued on Monday, GTEC said the decision follows UCC’s failure to comply with directives regarding the tenure of its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong.

The controversy stems from an injunction by the Cape Coast High Court on October 8, 2024, restraining the University’s Governing Council from making decisions on Prof. Boampong’s appointment. Despite the injunction and having reached the constitutional retirement age of 60, Prof. Boampong has remained in office.

Effective immediately, GTEC says it will no longer process UCC’s requests for:

The directive, signed by Prof. Augustine Ocloo, Acting Deputy Director-General of GTEC, will remain in force until UCC demonstrates full compliance with the Commission’s orders.

GTEC maintains that the Vice-Chancellor’s position is a public office under Section 7(1) of the University of Cape Coast Act, 1992 (PNDCL 278). It therefore falls under Article 199(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates retirement at age 60.

The Commission also referenced the UCC Statutes (2016), which limit a Vice-Chancellor’s tenure to a four-year term, renewable for another three years only if the individual has not exceeded the retirement age.

Pending the outcome of the ongoing legal battle at the Cape Coast High Court, GTEC has directed UCC’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Denis Worlanyo Aheto, to serve as Acting Vice-Chancellor.

This unprecedented sanction marks one of the strongest disciplinary actions ever taken by GTEC against a public university in Ghana.