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Former President Mahama urges govt to withdraw Public Universities Bill …But govt disagrees
Former President John Dramani Mahama has called on the government to withdraw the Public University Bill from parliament because it will colonise the tertiary institutions and stifle their academic freedom.
“Should government proceed and pass the Bill into an Act of Parliament, I will not hesitate to initiate steps for its immediate repeal, as a matter of priority, if God willing I assume office as President in January 2021,” he said.
In a statement issued in Accra yesterday, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said: “In its current form, it is unclear what problems or challenges in higher education the bill seeks to resolve.
“What is certain howeverthat, the bill is seeking to colonise public universities in the country, undermine academic freedom, stifle scholarly initiative, and subject research and researchers to needless and unproductive government control.”
The bill, seeks to harmonise the finances, administration and governance structure of public universities with reasons for its drafting including that universities continue to veer off their core mandate and are misappropriating their resources.
The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, University Teachers, some former vice-chancellors, individual academics in the universities among many other stakeholders, have kicked against it.
“The bill as it stands does not only risk undermining academic innovation and ingenuity; it will also jettison decades of scholarly excellence and adversely affect Ghana’s position as the preferred destination for international scholarly collaboration,” he said and asked the government to listen to the stakeholders.
In his view, instead of the bill, the universities need partnership that fosters academic freedom, enhances their efficiency and also invests in research and development.
He cited the COVID-19 rapid test kit innovation from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and their partner INCAS Diagnostics Company as one of such outcome that was begging for support.
“Our academics and students need support to focus on their core mandates of creating and sharing knowledge, not a Public Universities Bill that seeks to control and undermine the independence of our intellectuals and other researchers in state-owned universities,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education says the Public University Bill will not stifle academic freedom and undermine research and innovation when passed into law, as asserted by former President Mahama.
A rebuttal from the ministry issued by Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng, the press secretary to the sector minister, Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh said the bill had received the needed stakeholder inputs to make it robust.
“The ministry would like to put on record that it has extensively engaged shareholders on this matter, having invited, and received, memorandum from the various public universities and other stakeholders.”
“The ministry assures the general public that it is committed to the engagement process with the relevant stakeholders and is confident that eventually, the bill will receive the necessary approvals to enable it pass into law and help reform the tertiary landscape to the ultimate benefit of the nation,” it said.
According to the statement, the comments by former President Mahama “smacks of desperation” and that Ghanaians were expecting clear innovative policy alterative and not promises of reviews and abolitions of existing ones.
“Ex-President Mahama is entitled to speak on any matter but must first be educated and informed. It is wholly unacceptable for a person of his statute to pander to partisan politicking on such an important issue without ascertaining the facts simply because it is an election year,” it said.
Questioning if the Technical University Act passed by the Mahama-led administration, stifled academic freedom, the ministry said this government had done more to promote research.
It said this government had, in addition to the restoration of the Book and Research Allowance abolished by the NDC government, approved 200 per cent increase in research allowance from GH₵500 introduced by former President Kufour to GH₵1,500.
It said it had also laid before parliament, the Ghana Research Fund Bill to establish a fund to provide for funds and to support national research in tertiary and research institutions.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Ahyiresu and Abofrem, two quiet communities in the Atwima Mponua District, have been shaken to the core by a chilling midnight drama that reads like a nightmare.
A pastor and a young mother stand accused of attempting to bury a five‑month‑old baby girl alive, a crime that has ignited outrage and disbelief across the township.
According to police, Apostle Richmond Akwasi Frimpong, 36, Head Pastor of the Anointed Grace Prayer Ministry at Kuffour Camp, conspired with his uncle Emmanuel Appiah, 53, and the child’s mother, 23‑year‑old Beatrice Agyapomaa, to dispose of the infant, Anaya Achiaa, under the cover of darkness.
A fourth suspect, Emmanuel Donkor, remains on the run.
The suspects were caught near a refuse dump around 10 pm on April 9, 2026, after a vigilant resident, Akwasi Twezor, noticed their suspicious movements.
When confronted, they claimed the child was already dead and had palace approval for burial. But Twezor’s instincts proved right—the baby was still alive, gasping faintly for breath.
Chief Linguist, Nana Yaw Badu, later confirmed that Frimpong had misled him earlier in the evening, securing permission for burial by falsely declaring the child dead.
The infant was rushed to the Abofrem Clinic, where she is now responding well to treatment. Police described her as “very beautiful.”
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Evelyn Yitamkey, Commander of DOVVSU in Bibiani, confirmed that the suspects have been provisionally charged.
Frimpong faces attempted murder and conspiracy charges, while Agyapomaa and Appiah are charged with conspiracy and abetment.
They were remanded by the Bibiani Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Frank Asiedu Nimako, to assist investigations.
The docket has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department for advice, ASP Yitamkey indicated.
The attempted crime has provoked fury among residents, many suspecting ritual motives aimed at bolstering the pastor’s influence.
Crowds attempted to attack the suspects outside court, but police intervention prevented mob justice.
The Assembly Member for Ahyiresu, Yusuf Suleiman, has assured residents that justice will be pursued swiftly.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
The forecourt of the African University of Communications and Business (AUCB) in Accra came alive on Friday with colour, creativity and innovation, as Level 300 students transformed the space into a lively exhibition of ideas.
Under the theme “Building meaningful brands beyond the logo,” the students invited patrons into a world where ordinary products were reimagined through storytelling, design and purpose.
From scented candles to innovative food concepts, each stand told a unique story, one that went beyond aesthetics to capture identity, value and human connection.
For many of the students, the event was more than just an academic exercise; it was a moment to dream out loud.
Guided by their lecturer, Peter Wonders, they explored what it truly means to build a brand in today’s competitive world where trust, consistency and experience matter just as much as logos and slogans.
Chairman of the occasion, Nana Kum Gyata VI, in his remarks said a brand is what people say about you when you are not present.
At the end of the presentations, awards were presented to deserving groups with Vida Nyaneba emerging as the overall best branding student.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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