Dr Prince Hamid Armah, a former Director-General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA and an educationist, has commended the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission’s (GTEC) recent enforcement efforts but believes a structural realignment is needed.

In a Facebook post on Monday, August 18, he proposed the creation of a separate agency to be known as the Ghana Qualifications Authority to handle credential verification, allowing GTEC to return its focus to academic regulation and institutional accreditation.

GTEC's recent enforcement actions

In 2025, GTEC launched a concerted crackdown against misuse of academic titles, particularly honorary doctorates and professorships.

On May 30, the Commission condemned the misuse of such titles as unethical and misleading, warning that it would begin naming and shaming offenders and pursue legal action.

The sharpening of its enforcement continued on June 19, when GTEC issued formal directives to two individuals, Prof Williams Atuilik and Prof Edward Dua Agyeman, demanding proof of their professorships or cessation of title usage.

The misuse of titles has broader backing for reform. The Vice-Chancellors of Ghana’s Technical Universities criticised this trend, stressing that self-ascribed titles erode the integrity of the educational system and risk harming Ghana’s reputation globally.

These actions reflect the challenge of balancing academic merit with credentials and the importance of institutional legitimacy.

Moreover, GTEC’s efforts extend to shutting down unaccredited institutions. The Private Universities Students’ Association of Ghana (PUSAG) praised GTEC for closing down the University College of Holistic Medicine and Technology. GTEC, with support from the Criminal Investigations Department, CID, conducted arrests after the institution failed to prove accreditation and one of its directors was found using an honorary doctorate title improperly.

A Call for Structural Reform

Amid these enforcement efforts, Dr Prince Hamid Armah emphasised the need to recognise credential verification as a distinct function, one better served by a dedicated agency, leaving GTEC to focus on quality assurance and institutional oversight.

He explained that while GTEC merged the National Accreditation Board's institutional accreditation mandates with NCTE’s policy oversight, verifying credentials like title authenticity is an entirely different task, one that international models handle separately.

Dr Armah linked his proposal to precedents in other countries which use specialised agencies for this role.

The U.K.’s Ofqual/ENIC, Canada’s CICIC, the U.S.’s WES, and South Africa’s SAQA. These institutions verify qualifications and support national credit frameworks independently, while academic regulators focus on oversight and accreditation. Dr Armah suggests that Ghana should follow suit.

Moreover, Section 8(3)(d) of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), does empower GTEC to regulate academic titles. However, credential verification, which is ensuring titles are earned and qualifications are valid, could be better handled by a dedicated body, freeing GTEC to concentrate on institutional quality and policy development.

Strengthening Academic Integrity

Dr Armah, a former Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of State, insists that establishing a Ghana Qualifications Authority could lead to the development of a credible National Credit and Qualifications Framework (NCQF), linking all levels of education from early childhood through university and including TVET.

He believes this framework would simplify credentialing across sectors and align with global standards, and would also help shield Ghana’s tertiary education system from credential fraud and bolster public trust.

By separating credential validation from academic regulation, Ghana would clarify mandates, increase efficiency, and better safeguard the integrity and global recognition of its qualifications.