"Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah is Not a Professor": GTEC 'Exposes' Another Mahama Appointee's Fake Cert
- Deputy Minister of Health Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah's claim of being a professor has been disputed by GTEC
- In a letter to the Chief of Staff, GTEC indicated that Dr Ayensu-Danquah failed to provide enough evidence for the title
- For this reason, she has been asked to immediately stop holding herself as a professor or face legal action
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The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, is not a professor, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has stated, ending claims that she holds the academic rank of professor.
Dr Ayensu-Danquah, the MP for Essikado-Ketan in the Western Region, has been in the news since July following a controversy about her academic credentials that began during her parliamentary vetting for her role as deputy minister.
Source: Facebook
Appearing before Parliament's Appointments Committee on July 25, 2025, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin questioned the basis of her professorial title, noting her "14-page CV" and seeking clarification on whether she should be addressed as "Doctor" or "Professor."
Dr. Ayensu-Danquah robustly defended her use of the title "Professor," stating she had been teaching surgery for at least 15 years, which formed the foundation of her claim to the academic title.
Watch Dr Ayensu-Danquah's encounter with Afenyo-Markin during vetting:
While she passed the vetting and was subsequently sworn in as a minister, the doubts about her academic qualifications did not go away, prompting an intervention by GTEC.
According to the GTEC, it had requested documentary proof of her professorial appointment by August 11, 2025, as part of its national campaign to prevent the use of unearned academic titles in Ghana and enforce the law on abuse.
Her legal team, led by David K. Ametefe, responded on August 8, asserting that she was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Surgery by the University of Utah in the United States. The lawyers also argued that GTEC lacked the authority to demand such evidence since the appointment was made outside Ghana's jurisdiction.
However, GTEC's examination of the submitted documents showed significant inconsistencies that undermined her claim.
Source: Facebook
In a letter addressed to the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, GTEC indicated 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 was appointed as an Adjunct Assistant Professor, not simply "Assistant Professor" as claimed by her solicitors.
GTEC emphasised that the omission of the term "Adjunct" was misleading and carried significant implications for her academic standing. The Commission explained that an Adjunct Assistant Professor position is a non-tenure track role which, under Ghana's academic framework, equates roughly to a part-time lecturer, not a senior lecturer, and certainly not a professor.
Based on these findings, GTEC reached a definitive conclusion:
"Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah does not hold the title of Professor in any capacity."
The Commission further called on her employers to ensure she stops presenting herself as a professor and issued a stern warning about potential consequences. Should she persist in using the title, GTEC threatened to initiate legal action on grounds of public deception.
Who is Grace Dr. Ayensu-Danquah?
Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, born on May 10, 1967, is a Ghanaian gender advocate, humanitarian surgeon, and politician who is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), on whose ticket she won the Essikado-Ketan seat in the 2024 elections
Having grown up in Essikado, near Sekondi, Western Region, she attended Holy Child School and Archbishop Porter's Girls School for her O and A Levels before pursuing her medical education abroad. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and a Medical Degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She is described as a double board-certified surgeon.
NDC bigwigs called out over fake credentials
The claims by GTEC about Dr Ayensu-Danquah add to the growing list of leading members of the NDC and President John Mahama's government who have been accused of parading unearned credentials.
It will be recalled that GTEC recently warned NDC's Deputy Director of Elections and CEO of GIFEC, Rashid Tanko-Computer, to immediately stop using the academic title "Dr' amid allegations of falsified academic credentials.
Another NDC bigwig, Richard Kofi Asiedu, the Central Regional Chairman of the party, was also warned over his continued use of the honorary title of professor.
Hassan Ayariga threatens to sue GTEC
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that All People's Congress (APC) founder Hassan Ayariga had threatened to sue GTEC for ordering him to stop using his doctorate title.
Just like Dr Ayensu-Danquah, GTEC had questioned the legitimacy of the APC founder's academic credentials and demanded evidence of his supposed doctorate.
In response, Ayariga vowed to take legal action, accusing the commission of defamation and asserting his right to make use of the title.
Source: YEN.com.gh
