The National Accreditation Board says the award of honorary degrees and emeritus professorships to some personalities contravenes the Tertiary Institutions establishment and accreditation regulations.

It is enshrined in the Establishment and Accreditation Regulations of 2010 – LI 1984; Section 13 (1&2) and Section 19 (1&2) that “unaccredited, accredited institutions unqualified to award degrees on their own and other institutions with doubtful credentials” fall foul to conferring such honors.

A statement signed by the Executive Secretary of the NAB, Kwame Dattey emphasized the conferment of such degrees is the sole prerogative of degree awarding institutions with that mandate.

The Board therefore warned institutions engaged in this illegality to desist or be prepared to face sanctions prescribed by the law.

Below is the full news release:

The National Accreditation Board (NAB) has noticed with concern the spate of conferment of honorary degrees and emeritus professorships on some personalities by some unaccredited institutions, accredited institutions unqualified to award degrees on their own and other institutions with doubtful credentials.  These are in contravention of the Tertiary Institutions (Establishment and Accreditation Regulations, 2010 – LI 1984, Section 13 (1&2) and Section 19 (1&2). 

The conferment of honorary degrees is the prerogative of degree awarding institutions so mandated.  Therefore accredited private tertiary institutions operating under the mentorship of chartered, degree-awarding universities are not qualified by themselves to confer honorary degrees.  Any such institutions that do so are in contravention of Regulation 19 (1) of Legislative Instrument 1984 which states that: An accredited institution shall not issue certificates or award its own degrees, diplomas or honorary degree without a Charter grated to it for that purpose by the President.

There are also instances where some foreign institutions confer such honorary degrees, particularly doctorate degrees on prominent personalities with intent to legitimize and popularize the operations of the institutions in Ghana, and thereby seek to attract unsuspecting students to enroll in them. 

The national Accreditation Board wishes to caution the general public and advise that distinguished personalities invited for such awards should verify the accreditation status and degree-awarding powers of the institutions that seek accreditation status and degree-awarding powers of the institutions that seek to confer on them honorary degrees to avoid any embarrassing fallouts.

For the avoidance of doubt, as per our current records, only the following institutions established in Ghana are eligible to confer honorary degrees:

University of Ghana, Legon

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

University of Cape Coast

University of Education, Winneba

University for Development Studies

University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa

University of Professional Studies, Accra

University of Health and Allied Sciences

University of Energy and Natural Resources

Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration

Ghana Institute of Journalism

Valley View University

Akrofi-Christaller Memorial Research Institute

Trinity Theological College

The National Accreditation Board hereby warns institutions engaged in this illegality to desist or be prepared to face sanctions prescribed by the law.

Signed, Mr. Kwame Dattey

Executive Secretary

National Accreditation Board