The Vice-Chancellor of Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), Prof. Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, has filed a legal suit at the Accra High Court challenging what he calls his unlawful removal from office. He is seeking a declaration affirming that he remains the university’s only lawfully appointed Vice-Chancellor.
In a writ of summons filed on March 1, 2026, under Suit No. GJ/0487/2026, Prof. Afoakwa is asking the court to nullify the decision terminating his appointment and to restrain the university and other defendants from interfering with his tenure.
The lawsuit names four defendants: Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), the Chairman of its Governing Council Divine Kpetigo, Acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ebenezer Malcalm, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
In his statement of claim, Prof. Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa argues that the process used to terminate his appointment breached both statutory provisions and constitutional guarantees of fair hearing.
According to court documents, GCTU first appointed him Vice-Chancellor on March 1, 2021. His contract was later extended in August 2024 for another four-year term, scheduled to run from March 1, 2025, to February 28, 2029 — an offer he says he formally accepted before the end of that month.
However, Prof. Afoakwa states that he later received letters dated February 3 and February 26, 2026, informing him that his appointment had been terminated with effect from February 28, 2026.
He maintains that the decision was taken without prior notice of any alleged wrongdoing, without formal charges, and without giving him the opportunity to respond to any accusations.
“The arbitrary exercise of discretionary power by the 1st and 2nd Defendants seeking to purportedly terminate the Plaintiff’s contract of employment without hearing the Plaintiff is simply unlawful,” the affidavit supporting the suit states.
The Vice-Chancellor argues that the decision violates Section 9(24) of the GCTU Act, 2020, as well as Article 19(13) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, both of which emphasise the right to a fair hearing before adverse action is taken.
Prof. Afoakwa is therefore asking the court to declare that his removal from office is null and void and that he remains the lawful occupant of the Vice-Chancellor position.
He is also seeking an order restraining the defendants from interfering with his employment for the remainder of his contract, as well as a declaration that Prof. Malcalm does not legitimately occupy the office of Vice-Chancellor.
In addition, he is claiming damages for the distress, ridicule, humiliation, and reputational harm he says he has suffered following the termination, with the amount to be determined by the court.
The suit further states that GTEC became part of the dispute after a letter dated March 3, 2026, allegedly indicated the commission’s acquiescence in the decision to terminate his appointment.
Alongside the substantive case, Prof. Afoakwa has filed a motion for an interlocutory injunction under Order 25 of CI 47, seeking to maintain the status quo until the court determines the matter.
The application is expected to be heard on March 24, 2026.