The Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, has dismissed a two-week ultimatum issued by the lawyers of Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, over her use of the title “Professor”.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Midday News, Prof. Jinapor said the ultimatum lacked merit, accusing the Deputy Minister’s legal team of offering poor advice that has only deepened the controversy.
Conflicting Claims Over Academic Rank
The dispute arises from Dr. Ayensu-Danquah’s claims about her academic rank. According to Prof. Jinapor, she publicly declared on national television that she was a full professor at the University of Utah’s Department of Surgery. However, subsequent checks by GTEC produced contradictory information.
- Her lawyers wrote to GTEC claiming she was an assistant professor.
- The University of Utah itself confirmed in writing that she was an adjunct assistant professor.
Prof. Jinapor said this sequence of shifting claims highlights a pattern of inconsistency.
Attempts to Resolve Matter Privately
He revealed that GTEC had initially sought a private resolution by inviting the Deputy Minister to meet with the Board Chairman at a time and place of her choosing, to persuade her to stop using the contested title. However, she did not honour that arrangement.
“We don’t know what they are asking us to retract,” Prof. Jinapor said in response to the lawyers’ ultimatum. He went further to suggest that her lawyers should be fired for complicating the matter.
Academic Integrity at Stake
The GTEC Director-General stressed that the Commission’s role was not to target individuals but to protect academic integrity in Ghana.
“As we speak, she has not been able to provide us with a document that points to her appointment—whether full professor, assistant professor, or adjunct professor,” he noted.
He concluded that the University of Utah’s official communication was clear: Dr. Ayensu-Danquah holds the rank of adjunct assistant professor, a role that differs significantly from a tenured professorship.
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