In a surprising turn of events, the University of Cape Coast (UCC) Council has revoked the appointment of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, effective July 31, 2024. This decision nullifies the previously announced two-year extension for Prof. Nyarko Boampong.
The termination comes just a week after Prof. Nyarko Boampong was appointed Chairman of the Vice Chancellors’ Ghana, succeeding Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice-Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
In explaining the decision, the Chairman of the University Council, Prof. Harold S. Amonoo-Kuofi, stated that the reappointment of Prof. Nyarko Boampong for an extension on July 28, 2023, violated the university’s statutes on renewals and appointments. According to Prof. Amonoo-Kuofi, the process lacked a properly constituted “Search Committee” as required by Statute 8.15, thereby rendering the reappointment procedurally void.
“The renewal of your term as Vice-Chancellor was procedurally void as no properly constituted Search Committee was put in place, as required by Statute 8.15 to fulfill its mandate by Statutes 8.16 and 8.17 in the appointment or renewal process,” stated the letter signed by Prof. Amonoo-Kuofi.
Additionally, the Council noted that the reappointment, which would have kept Prof. Nyarko Boampong in office until 2026, contradicts Article 199 of the 1992 Constitution, which caps the mandatory retirement age for public servants at 60. The letter further explained that while extensions can be granted beyond retirement age, such extensions are contractual and applicable to general appointments within the university, not specifically to the position of Vice-Chancellor, as outlined in Statute 8.2.
Following the termination, Prof. Nyarko Boampong has been directed to hand over his office immediately to the Pro Vice-Chancellor, who will serve as Acting Vice-Chancellor until a new appointment is made.
This development at UCC follows the recent dismissal of an injunction filed by a KNUST alumnus against a similar term extension for Vice-Chancellor Prof. Rita Akosua Dickson. The court dismissed the application for lack of merit and awarded a cost of GHC9,000 against the applicant.
