In a move that has stirred public and academic attention, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed Kenneth ‘Ken’ Ashigbey, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, to immediately cease using the title “Dr.” after ruling that his doctoral qualification from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) is invalid.
According to a statement by GTEC’s Director-General, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, the action follows a petition that challenged the legitimacy of Ashigbey’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree.
GTEC said it requested Ashigbey to provide his certificate and transcript, but noted discrepancies between the two documents:
The certificate is attributed to “Swiss Management Centre (SMC),” whereas the transcript bears the name “Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University.”
The timeline is unusually long: the transcript shows enrolment in February 2010 and graduation in December 2019—a span of nine years, an atypical duration for a professional doctoral programme.
GTEC asserts that as of the present date, SMC’s official materials list it only as “Swiss Management Centre,” not “SMC University,” raising doubts about the transcript’s institution name.
It said ““In view of the above, and in accordance with Section 7(i) of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023)—which mandates the Commission as the sole state authority to evaluate and authenticate both local and foreign qualifications—the GTEC deems your Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) certificate from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) invalid.”
On those bases, GTEC considers the DBA certificate invalid under its mandate (via Section 7(i) of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020, Act 1023).
Consequently, GTEC has instructed Ashigbey to remove the “Dr.” title from all official, professional, and public materials (websites, profiles, letterheads, etc.) and to provide verifiable evidence that he has done so.
The stakes: Why GTEC is cracking down
GTEC’s action is part of a broader campaign to sanitise the use of unearned academic titles in Ghana and to preserve the credibility of genuine academic qualifications.
The commission has, in recent months, intensified scrutiny of individuals who publicly adopt academic ranks without credible supporting documentation—especially in an era where honorary, diploma-mill, and non-accredited programmes have proliferated.
GTEC argues that permitting misuse of titles erodes trust in academic systems and disrespects those who undergo rigorous efforts to earn their credentials.
