General News

GTEC Declares Kenneth Ashigbey’s DBA Certificate Invalid, Orders Him to Stop Using ‘Dr’ Title

10th October 2025

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed Ghana Chamber of Mines CEO, Kenneth Ashigbey, to stop using the title “Dr” after declaring his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) certificate from the Swiss Management Centre invalid.

GTEC Invalidates Kenneth Ashigbey’s Doctorate Title

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has formally written to Mr. Kenneth Ashigbey, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, ordering him to cease using the academic title “Dr” following an official review of his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) certificate.

In a letter dated October 10, 2025, signed by Prof. John Jinapor, Director-General of GTEC, the Commission concluded that the DBA certificate issued by the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) was invalid.

The directive follows a petition challenging Mr. Ashigbey’s use of the title “Dr” in both professional and public spaces.

Findings of the GTEC Evaluation

According to GTEC’s evaluation, the academic documents presented by Mr. Ashigbey contained major inconsistencies and irregularities.
The Commission identified discrepancies between the name of the awarding institution and the accompanying academic records.

“While the certificate was issued under the name Swiss Management Centre (SMC), the transcript referred to Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University and was issued after the certificate, contradicting the sequence of academic documentation,” the GTEC letter stated.

Further scrutiny revealed that the programme structure contained only seven courses completed over nine years, amounting to 26.8 credit hours — a workload that falls short of the standard requirements for even a bachelor’s degree.

Additionally, GTEC recalculated the reported GPA of 3.8 to approximately 3.51, finding irregular grading and missing course codes in the accompanying thesis titled “Corporate Governance and Performance of State-Owned Enterprises in Ghana.”

SMC Accreditation Withdrawn by NAB

The Commission reminded the public that the National Accreditation Board (NAB), now integrated under GTEC, revoked recognition of the Swiss Management Centre in August 2020.
This means that all qualifications awarded by the institution after that date are not valid in Ghana.

GTEC cited Section 7(i) of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), affirming its legal authority to declare unaccredited degrees invalid and enforce compliance among individuals and institutions.

Directive to Withdraw the Title

Mr. Ashigbey has been instructed to provide verifiable evidence that he has removed the “Dr” title from all official documents, institutional profiles, websites, letterheads, and digital platforms.

“You are further required to provide verifiable evidence that this title has been removed from all official and professional representations,” the letter emphasized.

GTEC warned that failure to comply with the directive could attract legal action, in line with national education regulatory laws.

Background and Implications

This case has revived national attention on academic integrity and the legitimacy of foreign-awarded degrees.
The Swiss Management Centre (SMC), based in Switzerland, has been at the center of similar controversies in several African countries due to unaccredited online degree programs.

Education experts say GTEC’s action reinforces the Commission’s resolve to sanitize Ghana’s higher education landscape, protecting the public from misleading academic credentials and unaccredited institutions.