According to the commission, until there was full compliance with the directive for the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Johnson Nyarko Boampong, to proceed on compulsory retirement, it will not process any request from UCC.

In a letter dated September 22, 2025, addressed to the Registrar of the UCC referencing an earlier directive dated September 19, 2025, the commission indicated it was compelled to issue the new directive due to the fact that the Governing Council of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has been restrained by an injunction of the High Court, Cape Coast, since 8th October 2024, from taking any action on Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong's appointment as Vice-Chancellor.

"Accordingly, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) will, with immediate effect, not process any request from the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in respect of the following until there is full compliance with the directive and evidence of compliance is furnished to the Commission."

The Vice-Chancellor of the UCC, Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, has decided to disregard GTEC's directive instructing him to proceed on retirement.

Following the confusion at the UCC over Prof. Boampong's contract extension and developments in relation to his retirement age, GTEC last week directed that the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto, should step in to act in the interim. 

GTEC also requested that the Governing Council of the university postpone the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor until the conclusion of a high court case regarding the retirement age of Prof.  Boampong and the contract extension.

The move by GTEC followed information that Prof. Boampong was still in office as Vice-Chancellor of the university post the compulsory retirement age of sixty (60) years, contrary to the provisions of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

In the GTEC letter, a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online and dated September 19, 2025, signed by the Acting Deputy Director-General of GTEC, Prof Augustine Ocloo on behalf of the Director-General, addressed to Prof Boampong and copied to eight other people including the Minister of Education, the Chancellor and the Chairman of the UCC Governing Council, GTEC indicated that Article 199 (1) of the constitution states that, "A public officer shall, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, retire from the public service on attaining the age of sixty years." 

It stated, "again, the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, being an office established under Section 7(1) of the University of Cape Coast Act, 1992 (PNDCL 278) is a public office under the meaning and intendment of Article 199(1), hence anyone acting in the office of the Vice-Chancellor is presumptively mandated to proceed on compulsory retirement upon attaining 60 years." 

Regarding the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor, it said Statute 8.2 of the University of Cape Coast Statutes 2016 states that:  "The Vice-Chancellor shall hold office for an initial term of four years. The appointment may be renewed for a further term of up to three years if that is not beyond the statutory retiring age of 60." 

It went further to indicate that "stemming from the above stated laws, and with the Commission's regulatory mandate enshrined in section 7 of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto is to act in the interim. 

Prof Nyarko Boampong's response

Through a letter dated September 19, 2025, written by his lawyers in response to the GTEC directive, Prof Boampong indicated he "would ignore the said letter and continue to act in office as directed by the University Statutes and in accordance with the orders of the court."  

Attached below are details from the letter from Prof Boampong's lawyer, Dennis Adjei Dwomoh of Law Plus

Re: Stay in Office Post Compulsory Age 

We act as solicitors of Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong (hereinafter referred to as “Our Client”) and we have his firm instructions to write this letter to you.  

1. We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 19th September 2025 and the content therein. Interestingly, the  content of your letter is similar to the content of the letter unilaterally written by the former Chairman of the University, Prof. Harold S. Amonoo-Kuofi to purportedly dismiss our client from office via text message.   

2. You are duly aware that the basis for your letter also happens to be the facts, which is the subject matter of the action currently pending before the High Court, Cape Coast in Suit No: E12/105/2-24 John Mevemeo vrs University of Cape Coast and Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong.  On the 8th day of October, 2024 the High Court, granted the Injunction prayed and made an order that the University of Cape Coast, its Governing Council, the Chairman 
of the Council, their Agents, Assigns, Privies, Workmen, Servants or their Appointors are RESTRAINED AND PROHIBITED from: 

(i) discussing or deliberating any matter(s) relating to the REMOVAL of our client as the VICE-CHANCELLOR of the University of Cape Coast. 
(ii) taking any decision that will SUSPEND, REVERSE, or SET ASIDE the APPOINTMENT of our client as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast.

(iii) interfering with the RENEWAL OF THE APPOINTMENT of our client as the VICE-CHANCELLOR of the University of Cape Coast until the final determination of the suit. 

It is important to mention that your institution filed an application in the Supreme Court to quash the order of injunction in CIVIL MOTION NO: J5/7/2025, THE REPUBLIC VS HIGH COURT, CAPE COAST; EX PARTE GHANA TERTIARY EDUCATION COMMISSION (UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST and PROF. JOHNSON NYARKO BOAMPONG- Interested Parties). The Supreme Court on the 5th day of February 2025 dismissed your application.  

We have attached copies of the ruling of the High Court and the Supreme Court just in case you have not read same and/or don’t have a copy of it although you have been informed of the content therein.  

4. Interestingly, you failed to state that the Supreme Court rejected your argument of quoting Article 199(1) and leaving out Article 199(4) which empowers the state to employ or engage a person over sixty years of age, which was inserted per THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1996. To court displeasure for our client, you once again intentionally omitted to mention the rollover policy of the University, which is backed by the University Statutes. All of these arguments being raised 
in your letter are the subject matter of the suit before the High Court, Cape Coast.  

5. On the 27th day of August 2025, we wrote to the members of the new council of the University and placed you in copy. In the said letter we gave a detailed background of the instant action and the orders made therein.  

6. It is therefore surprising that you have written a letter taking a decision that has SUSPENDED the APPOINTMENT of our client as Vice-Chancellor of the University. Apart from disrespecting the court orders, your actions also amount to side-stepping the Statutes of the University, and usurpation of the powers of the bodies of the University, and interference with the academic independence of the University.  

7. Consequently, we have the directions of our client and, as officers of the court, respectfully demand you withdraw your letter dated 19th September 2025 and respect the orders of the court, failing which we have the firm 
instructions of our client to take the necessary steps to uphold the sanctity of the court. In the meantime, our Client would ignore the said letter and continue to act in office as directed by the University Statutes and in accordance with the orders of the court.  
Yours Sincerely,

more to follow...