The simmering confrontation between Deputy Minister for Health and Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has escalated into a full-blown public spat — after the minister launched a scathing attack on GTEC’s Director-General, Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, accusing him of political malice and incompetence.

In a fiery statement on social media, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah accused Professor Jinapor of leading a politically motivated smear campaign aimed at tarnishing her reputation and questioning her hard-earned academic credentials.

Her remarks came amid revelations that the GTEC boss himself is facing an enquiry over his qualifications. An official Right to Information (RTI) request challenging the authenticity of his own professorial title and academic background has been launched.

Ayensu-Danquah’s Response: “Fake News and Political Hatred”

Dr. Ayensu-Danquah did not mince words in her rebuke of the Commission’s actions, describing the GTEC head as a man driven by “hate and envy.”

“You use fake news, misinformation and disinformation in an attempt to damage extremely hard-earned, unblemished, stellar academic credentials for cheap political gain instead of performing your duties with due diligence,” she wrote.

She further alleged that GTEC had acted without any procedural fairness, accusing its leadership of “bullying, conjecture and ad hominem attacks” instead of following laid-down processes for verifying credentials.

“No due diligence, no due process, no meeting in person, no meeting of any panel of experts, zero proper evaluation by properly laid down procedures,” she said.

“He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.”

The outburst followed months of tension between the Deputy Minister and the education regulator, which has been scrutinizing her use of the title “Professor.”

Dispute

The row began in August 2025, when GTEC sent a letter to Parliament and the Office of the President, suggesting that Dr. Ayensu-Danquah’s use of the title “Professor” was illegitimate.

The Commission reportedly described her academic status as “fake” — a claim that drew outrage from her legal representatives.

Her lawyers, led by David K. Ametefe, responded in a 13-page rebuttal dated August 13, 2025, accusing GTEC of overstepping its mandate and acting in bad faith.

They argued that Dr. Ayensu-Danquah’s professorial title was legitimately conferred by a foreign university in the United States, where she had served as a faculty member.

The university has denied conferring the title professor on the deputy minister.

According to her team, GTEC lacked the authority to question titles conferred by accredited international institutions, especially when the individual in question is not employed in a Ghanaian tertiary institution.

Her lawyers further accused GTEC of relying on “media commentary and even Facebook monikers” to reach its conclusions, calling the entire exercise “defamatory, unprofessional and politically charged.”

Counterclaims Against GTEC Boss: RTI Request Sparks Fresh Controversy

In a dramatic twist, the GTEC Director-General, Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, is now under scrutiny himself.

A Ghanaian citizen, Kwame Simpe Ofori, has filed an RTI request dated October 24, 2025, seeking clarification about Professor Jinapor’s own academic qualifications and professorial appointment.

Professor Jinapor in a statement issued by GTEC has publicly addressed concerns surrounding his academic credentials and professorial rank following a petition filed under Ghana’s Right to Information Act (Act 989).

The request, made directly to GTEC’s Governing Board, stirred public debate over transparency in leadership within Ghana’s tertiary education regulatory body.

In response to the petition, GTEC on October 24, 2025, issued a formal statement signed by the Acting Director of Corporate Affairs, Jerry Sarfo, clarifying the Director-General’s academic background and professional journey. The statement reaffirmed the authenticity of Prof. Abdulai’s academic records and emphasized his readiness to maintain full transparency in the matter.

According to the Commission, Prof. Abdulai earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Religions (First Class Honours) from the University of Ghana between 1998 and 2001.

He furthered his studies in the United States, obtaining a Master of Arts in International Affairs from Ohio University (2003–2005) and later a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction from West Virginia University (2005–2009).

To enhance his teaching expertise upon his return to Ghana, Prof. Abdulai pursued a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) from 2016 to 2017.

Tracing his academic career, the statement detailed that he joined UEW as a Lecturer in 2010, rose to Senior Lecturer in 2014, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2017, a position he still holds.

His administrative experience includes serving as Deputy Director-General of GTEC (2020–2023), Acting Director-General (2023–2024), and subsequently confirmed Director-General in 2024.