A storm is brewing at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, following serious allegations of governance breaches levelled against the institution’s Vice Chancellor by Associate Professor George Agyei, Head of the Department of Mining Engineering.

In a strongly worded petition submitted to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and copied to the Western Regional Minister, Assoc. Prof. Agyei accuses the Vice Chancellor of engineering a "power grab" by bypassing university statutes to consolidate authority, stifle dissent, and manipulate internal processes.

“This is not only a UMaT crisis,” Assoc. Prof. Agyei declares. “It is a test of the resilience of Ghana’s higher education governance.”

Disciplinary Committee in Controversy

The petition calls for the immediate nullification of the actions of a Disciplinary Committee, which Assoc. Prof. Agyei claims was “illegally constituted in violation of UMaT’s own statutes.” He alleges that the Vice Chancellor handpicked loyalists to serve on the committee, in direct contravention of Statute 39(2)(b), which mandates that representatives be elected by Convocation.

To make matters worse, Prof. Agyei says that after his petition was submitted, the agenda of a Convocation meeting was suddenly revised in what he describes as “a suspicious attempt to reconstitute the Convocation Advisory Board while excluding the Convocation representative from the Disciplinary Committee.”

Promotions and Appointments Under Fire

The petition also outlines several alleged irregularities involving promotions and appointments, including:

• The processing of Dr Bright Oppong Afum’s promotion while on leave, which, according to Assoc. Prof. Agyei violates Section 3.6(iii) of the Promotion Criteria.
• The approval of leave for Mr Michael Owusu Tweneboah, despite what the petitioner describes as an abandonment of duties.
• The disregard of departmental recommendations in appointments such as that of Mr Boakye Yiadom.
• Deliberate delays in Assoc. Prof. Agyei’s own promotion process, which he believes is an act of victimisation.

“These actions amount to the persistent circumvention of university statutes,” he writes, warning of an “environment of fear among lecturers perceived not to be in the Vice Chancellor’s favour.”

Call for Intervention

Assoc. Prof. Agyei’s petition outlines key recommendations from governance experts, calling for:

1. The nullification of all actions taken by improperly constituted committees.
2. Strict adherence to university statutes, particularly in the election and documentation of committee representatives.
3. Transparency in promotions and appointments, with respect for departmental input.
4. An internal audit of governance structures to detect systemic abuses and conflicts of interest.
5. Disciplinary action against the Vice Chancellor for “undermining governance structures and creating an environment of fear and victimisation.”

A Call to Defend Academic Freedom

In his closing remarks, Assoc. Prof. Agyei appeals to GTEC, the Ministry of Education, and the broader academic community to defend the principles of good governance and transparency in Ghanaian universities.

“The academic community must refuse to allow any university to slide into a state where due process is replaced with autocratic discretion,” he warns.

He reaffirmed his commitment to lawful processes and urged the UMaT Council to act swiftly and decisively to “restore trust and ensure that no Vice Chancellor or administrator is allowed to undermine the rights of lecturers and staff.”

The University is yet to respond to the allegations.