By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has announced that it will no longer process accreditation, funding, and other statutory requests from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) until there is compliance with its directive for Vice-Chancellor Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong to proceed on compulsory retirement.
In a letter dated September 22, 2025, and addressed to the Registrar of UCC, GTEC said its decision covers accreditation requests, salary payments (government subventions), GETFund support, Book and Research allowances, post-retirement contracts, financial clearance for recruitment, and any related approvals.
According to the Commission, the directive stems from the continued stay in office of Prof. Boampong despite reaching the statutory retirement age of 60, in contravention of Article 199(1) of the 1992 Constitution.
“Accordingly, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) will, with immediate effect, not process any request from the University of Cape Coast until there is full compliance with the directive and evidence of compliance furnished to the Commission,” the letter stated.
The development follows an earlier GTEC instruction on September 19, 2025, directing Prof. Boampong to step aside and mandating Pro-Vice Chancellor, Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto, to act in the interim.
However, Prof. Boampong has refused to comply. Through his lawyers at Law Plus, led by Dennis Adjei Dwomoh, he argued that the matter is before the Cape Coast High Court and that both the High Court and Supreme Court have issued orders preventing any interference in his tenure.
In a strongly worded response, Prof. Boampong’s lawyers described GTEC’s position as an “interference with the academic independence of the University” and insisted their client would continue in office “in accordance with the University Statutes and the orders of the court.”
The legal tussle stems from a 2024 High Court injunction restraining UCC’s Governing Council from deliberating or taking action on Prof. Boampong’s retirement and appointment. The Supreme Court in February 2025 also dismissed GTEC’s attempt to overturn the injunction.
Despite the ongoing litigation, GTEC insists that the statutory retirement age is non-negotiable. It cited Statute 8.2 of UCC’s 2016 Statutes, which allows a Vice-Chancellor to serve an initial four-year term, renewable for up to three years, provided it does not exceed the retirement age of 60.
The stalemate has left UCC in limbo as the Commission tightens the noose on its administrative operations, raising fears among staff and students of potential disruptions to salaries, academic programmes, and research funding if the impasse continues.
