The Members of Parliament on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have renewed calls for a fresh debate on the renaming of the University of Ghana (UG) in honour of the late scholar and statesman, Dr J.B. Danquah.
The proposal, originally championed by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was met with what the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP described as “stiff opposition,” with critics arguing that the move was undeserved.
You might also like
Recalling the reaction, the Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, said the level of resistance was both striking and disheartening.
“I was struck when a call for the University of Ghana to be named after J.B. Danquah received a lot of apprehension and even condemnation.
“It saddened my heart that such a personality would be treated the way he was treated,” he stated.
He further cautioned against framing Ghana’s political history as a contest between Dr Danquah and the country’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, describing such comparisons as unnecessary and divisive.
“Oftentimes, we yield to this tendency of drawing a wedge between J.B. Danquah and Kwame Nkrumah, which in my view is totally unnecessary… They all achieved significant achievements in their rights,” Annoh-Dompreh argued.
The call came on the back of a commemorative statement read in Parliament by Abuakwa South MP Kingsley Agyemang, who portrayed J.B. Danquah as a national figure whose influence cuts across political divisions.
“When clerks of parliament, professional bodies, academic institutions… converge in the assessment of one man, then history itself has rendered its verdict,” Agyemang told the House.
He described Danquah as “a man whose life and work are acknowledged with respect by those who oppose him politically.”
Beyond tribute, the statement positioned Danquah’s detention under the Preventive Detention Act as a cautionary chapter in Ghana’s democratic journey.
“The experience of Dr J.B. Danquah… reminds this house that the erosion of liberty rarely announces itself loudly,” it said, adding that “to honour him is not merely to remember his past but to ensure that the dark chapters he endured are never re-opened in our present.”
The debate over renaming Ghana’s public universities dates back to 2021, when former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo proposed renaming the University for Development Studies (UDS) and several other institutions after the late former President Jerry John Rawlings in recognition of his legacy.
The suggestion attracted criticism from some quarters, with opponents arguing that it was a precursor to efforts aimed at renaming the nation’s premier university in honour of the former president’s uncle.
The conversation resurfaced in August 2023, reigniting public debate after former President Akufo-Addo hinted that the University of Ghana could be renamed in the future.
Speaking at the university’s 75th Anniversary Thanksgiving Service, he advanced what many described as a thought-provoking proposal, suggesting that the institution could bear the name of Joseph Boakye (J.B.) Danquah.
He explained that the proposal would serve as a tribute to Dr Danquah’s unwavering commitment and instrumental role in mobilising the Ghanaian populace towards the establishment of the university.
The former president praised the extensive lobbying efforts led by J.B. Danquah and maintained that renaming the institution in his honour would not be out of place. He further argued that in a society that values historical accuracy and the preservation of records, such a move should not be contentious.
