Ousted GCTU VC sues over alleged 'unlawful dismissal'

The removed Vice-Chancellor of the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), Prof. Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, has sued at the Accra High Court, insisting his appointment runs until 28 February 2029 and cannot be ended “by letter” without due process.

The writ, filed on 4 March 2026 (Suit No. GT/0487/2026), names GCTU, the council chair Ing. Divine Kpetigo, acting Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ebenezer Malcalm, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) as defendants.

In his statement of claim, Prof. Afoakwa says he was appointed in March 2021 and later granted a fresh four-year term starting 1 March 2025 after an extension communicated in August 2024. He argues he accepted the renewal and continued working, and that no disciplinary process was triggered against him before he was told to stop holding office.

He is challenging two key letters — one dated 3 February 2026 telling him to cease holding office, and another dated 26 February 2026 directing that he should no longer act as Vice-Chancellor — arguing the steps failed to meet fair-hearing safeguards under the GCTU Act and the Constitution.

Among other orders, he is asking the court to stop the defendants from interfering with his employment while the case is pending, to declare the appointment of an acting Vice-Chancellor unlawful on his account, and to award damages for distress and reputational harm.

GCTU’s governing council, however, has maintained that Prof. Afoakwa’s secondment ended on 28 February 2026, and that the regulator, GTEC, has affirmed the council’s actions.