The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has ordered Kenneth Ashigbey, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, to immediately stop using the title “Dr.”
The decision, announced in a statement on Friday, October 10, 2025, follows GTEC’s determination that his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) is invalid.
GTEC’s investigation into the authenticity of Ashigbey’s doctoral qualification uncovered several key inconsistencies. Although the CEO confirmed holding the degree and submitted his documents for review, the Commission discovered a discrepancy in the institution’s name.
The certificate, dated December 2019, identified the awarding body as the Swiss Management Centre (SMC), while the accompanying transcript—issued a few weeks later in January 2020—used the name Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University. GTEC noted that checks on the institution’s official website, as of the current date, correspond with the name appearing on the certificate.
The Commission also expressed concern over the unusually long nine-year duration of the programme, noting that Ashigbey enrolled in February 2010 and graduated in December 2019.
Citing these irregularities and acting under its mandate in the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023)—which empowers it to evaluate and authenticate qualifications—GTEC declared the DBA invalid.
The Commission has further directed Ashigbey to provide verifiable evidence that the “Dr.” title has been removed from all official documents, professional profiles, websites, and related platforms, stating that the move is necessary to safeguard academic integrity in Ghana.
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Story by Deborah Owusu | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Gabriel Tecco Mensah
