A leadership crisis is rearing its head at the University of Cape Coast, as some concerned members of the University have petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to remove their Vice-Chancellor, Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong.
The group, whose agitations are creating huge controversies at the University, appealed to the president to ensure the enforcement of the mandatory retirement of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Boampong, who turns 60 years on Thursday, September 18, 2025.
According to the group, Prof Boampong’s continuous stay after turning 60 years will not only breach Article 199(1) of Ghana’s Constitution but also set a precedent contrary to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
The petitioners alleged that portions of GTEC’s earlier communication to the University read: “The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana is unambiguous on the retirement age of public servants (60 years), of which Staff and Faculty of Public Universities are not exempted.”
UEW Impasse: UTAG calls for the resignation of vice chancellor, Prof Abakah
The petitioners are therefore requesting President Mahama to:
1. Direct GTEC, the Education Minister and the Attorney General to enforce the constitutional provisions requiring Prof Boampong to vacate office on September 18, 2025, when he will be 60 years old.
2. Order the UCC Governing Council to declare the VC’s position vacant and implement an orderly transition plan
3. Demand justification for the extension and explain the different standards applied compared to UBIDS and CKT-UTAS cases;
4. Launch an investigation into the selective enforcement of retirement policies across Ghana’s public universities.
Giving a background to their request, the petitioners noted that sometime last year, GTEC ordered the Vice-Chancellor of the SD-Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), Professor Philip Duku Osei, to hand over to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor.
This, they said, was because Prof Duku had attained the compulsory retirement age of 60 years, which subsequently led the University’s Governing Council to declare the position vacant.
They also cited the case of Prof Eric M Wilmot, the then Vice-Chancellor of the C K Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS).
A ruling by the Bolgatanga High Court on this case held that Prof Wilmot had exceeded the compulsory retirement age of 60 and thus had no valid contract with the University.
The Court subsequently issued a perpetual injunction restraining him from holding the office and performing any duties as Vice-Chancellor.
The then Registrar of the University, Dr Vincent A Ankamah Lomotey, the petitioners claimed, was similarly removed from office for attaining the compulsory retirement age of 60.
They, therefore, accused the Governing Council of the University of Cape Coast of its failure to preemptively address what they called “looming illegality necessitating the petition to the President.”
Giving reasons for their action, the petitioners stated that the case has significant implications for governance in Ghana’s tertiary education sector.
They insisted that “respect for the Constitution and statutory limits on tenure is essential to preserve good governance, institutional integrity and public confidence in our higher education system.”
According to the petitioners, “the current situation undermines the principle of equal application of the law and creates a dangerous precedent of selective justice.”
As the September 18 deadline approaches, the university community and education stakeholders await President Mahama’s response to what could become a landmark test case for constitutional compliance in Ghana’s public universities.
NAAB/SEA
Will Ghana pass the Anti-Witchcraft Bill? Find out in the latest episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV in this conversation with Amnesty International:
