Prof. Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, the ousted Vice-Chancellor of the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), has taken his fight to the courts, filing a writ of summons at the Accra High Court to challenge what he describes as an unlawful termination of his employment.

The writ, filed on 4th March 2026 and assigned Suit No. GT/0487/2026, names four defendants: GCTU itself, Council Chairman Ing. Divine Kpetigo, Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ebenezer Malcalm, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

At the centre of Prof. Afoakwa's claim is the argument that his contract of employment does not expire until 28th February 2029 — and that the University had no lawful basis to remove him without due process.

According to the statement of claim, GCTU first employed Prof. Afoakwa as Vice-Chancellor in March 2021.

In August 2024, the University extended his contract for a further four-year term running from 1st March 2025 to 28th February 2029. He says he accepted the offer and continued in the role.

His lawyers at Barfo Bonney & Associates argue that at no point was he ever notified of any breach of his contract, nor was he invited to a hearing to respond to any allegation before being shown the door.

"Plaintiff says he has never been invited by the 1st and or the 2nd Defendants to a hearing and has never been heard in his defence regarding any allegation or breach of contract," the statement of claim reads.

Prof. Afoakwa contends that the 3rd February 2026 letter informing him to cease holding office — and the subsequent 26th February directive barring him from acting as Vice-Chancellor — were issued without any adherence to the fair hearing requirements set out in Section 9(24) of the GCTU Act 2020 (Act 1022) and Article 19(13) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

He further argues that the decision by GTEC, which publicly affirmed the Council's actions, amounts to a violation of his fundamental human rights to fair hearing and employment protection.

Among the reliefs being sought, Prof. Afoakwa is asking the court to restrain the defendants from interfering with his employment pending the final determination of his case.

He also wants the court to declare that Prof. Malcalm's appointment as acting Vice-Chancellor is invalid, on the basis that his own tenure has never been lawfully terminated.

In addition, he is seeking damages for what his lawyers describe as distress, ridicule, humiliation and public shame — the quantum to be assessed by the court.

The case throws into sharp relief a growing tension between university governing councils and vice-chancellors over tenure and due process — a recurring flashpoint in Ghana's public tertiary education sector in recent years.

GCTU's Governing Council, for its part, has maintained that Prof. Afoakwa's secondment ended on 28th February 2026 and that his removal was procedurally sound. The Council's decisions have been affirmed by GTEC.

The defendants have eight days from the date of service of the writ to enter an appearance, failing which judgment could be entered against them in their absence.