The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has officially refuted claims by Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah that she holds the academic rank of professor, cautioning her against using the title in any capacity.
In a letter addressed to the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, GTEC explained that it had requested Dr. Ayensu-Danquah to provide documentary proof of her professorial appointment by August 11, 2025.
Her legal team, led by David K. Ametefe, responded on August 8, asserting that she was appointed an Assistant Professor of Surgery by the University of Utah in the United States. They argued that GTEC had no authority to demand evidence for an appointment made abroad.
However, GTEC found inconsistencies in the documents submitted. A letter from the University of Utah, signed by Prof. W. Bradford Rockwell, Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Surgery, confirmed that Dr. Ayensu-Danquah’s actual appointment was as an Adjunct Assistant Professor, not Assistant Professor as claimed.
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The Commission explained that the omission of the term “Adjunct” was misleading. The role of Adjunct Assistant Professor is a non-tenure track, part-time position, roughly equivalent to a lecturer under Ghana’s academic framework not a senior lecturer, and certainly not a professor.
“Based on the above, the Commission concludes that Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah does not hold the title of Professor in any capacity,” the letter stated.
GTEC has therefore called on her employers to ensure she stops presenting herself as a professor and warned that legal action may be initiated should she continue to do so, citing public deception as grounds.
The Commission’s intervention underscores the importance of academic integrity and accuracy in professional titles in Ghana’s tertiary education landscape.
