 has refuted claims by the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, that she holds the academic rank of professor.){kind=link}
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has refuted claims by the Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, that she holds the academic rank of professor.
In a letter to the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, GTEC said it had requested Dr. Ayensu-Danquah to provide proof of her professorial appointment by August 11, 2025. Her legal team, led by lawyer David K. Ametefe, responded on August 8, stating that she had been appointed an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah in the United States. They also challenged GTEC’s authority to demand evidence of an academic title conferred outside Ghana.
However, the Commission said documents received from the University of Utah contradicted the MP’s claims. A letter signed by Prof. W. Bradford Rockwell, Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Surgery, confirmed that Dr. Ayensu-Danquah was appointed as an Adjunct Assistant Professor—not an Assistant Professor, as her solicitors had asserted.
According to GTEC, the omission of the word “Adjunct” was misleading. It explained that adjunct positions are non-tenure track roles and, under Ghana’s academic framework, are equivalent to part-time lecturer positions, not senior lecturers, and certainly not professors.
“Based on the above, the Commission concludes that Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah does not hold the title of Professor in any capacity,” the letter stated.
GTEC further called on Dr. Ayensu-Danquah’s employers to ensure she ceases presenting herself as a professor, warning that it may be compelled to take legal action on grounds of public deception if the situation persists.
The Commission attached to its correspondence the University of Utah’s clarification, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah’s legal response, and its initial letter dated August 4, 2025.