Across Ghana and some parts of Africa, there is a booming and lucrative business; a business of high demand and supply of selling academic prestige for cash; this is the observation of Appiah Kusi Adomako, a lawyer, economist, and West African Regional Director of CUTS International.
The lawyer says there is a growing black market where individuals pay thousands of dollars to obtain instant PhDs and honorary doctorates from unrecognized institutions, both local and foreign.
Appiah Kusi Adomako, in an article titled “When PhDs from the Black Market Invade the Town and the Gown,” warned that this unhealthy appetite for shortcuts is undermining the value of genuine scholarship and threatens the country’s development.
The Economics Behind the Fake PhD Industry
Appiah Kusi Adomako recalls being invited by a so-called “Commonwealth University” in 2015 to attend a two-day seminar that promised an honorary doctorate for a $4,000 fee. Although he declined, many others accepted. He adds that some recipients even took out newspaper adverts to celebrate their new titles, unaware of how such acts diminish the credibility of real academic work.
For him, the trade in fake doctorates has become a thriving industry, sustained by a simple business model. The model, he says, offers titles in exchange for money. With society’s growing obsession with recognition and titles, these diploma mills have found fertile ground.
For many, the title “Doctor” brings social prestige, better career prospects, or a political edge. Institutions offering these fraudulent degrees understand this and price their products accordingly. The black market thrives because people see these titles not as proof of knowledge, but as passports to influence.
“The idea that one can ‘earn’ a PhD through a weekend seminar or a short online course is both absurd and dangerous. Yet the demand for such shortcuts is strong. Institutions, both foreign and local, have capitalized on this craving for recognition by offering “executive PhDs and DBAs” and “honorary doctorates” at a price. The exchange of money for titles has become a small but thriving industry,” he recounted.
The Cost to Learning and National Development
However, the CUTS International boss notes that there is a true cost of these “instant PhDs” to the country. To him, now that faculty members of the country’s esteemed universities are engaged in this trade, it’s a damage to the nation’s intellectual capital.
He maintains that when shortcuts replace scholarship, the outcome is mediocrity dressed in academic regalia.
The economist explains that a genuine PhD trains the mind to think critically, research deeply, and create new knowledge. It demands years of hard work, patience, and originality. But when fake degrees find their way into academia, the consequences are far-reaching.
“The infiltration of fake and substandard PhDs has wider implications for education and national development,” he emphasized, adding that, “If universities hire lecturers whose research credentials are questionable, teaching quality suffers.”
Poor teaching translates into poorly trained graduates. These are graduates who may later occupy critical roles in public administration, policy, and industry. The result is a chain reaction of incompetence that weakens institutions and stifles innovation.
The Bottomline
Appiah Kusi Adomako adds that beyond academia, the fake PhD culture also reflects a deeper societal problem, which rewards appearances over substance. In some public and private sectors, promotions and appointments are still tied more to paper qualifications than to proven ability. This creates pressure for individuals to acquire titles at any cost.
In the long run, Ghana risks losing its intellectual credibility if such practices continue unchecked. The black market for PhDs, he says, may enrich a few fake institutions today, but for the nation, it is a poor investment that erodes knowledge, trust, and the quality of development itself.
