Fake credentials: Ghanaian university forced to dismiss internal auditor, censures facilities manager

The failure of the authorities at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development at Somanya in the Eastern Region to follow laid-down procedure led to the recruitment of an unqualified internal auditor, who enjoyed the perks of the job, leading to financial loss to the state until his ruse was uncovered last year.

The man with the fake credentials, Emmanuel Opoku Ware, was only exposed after three years on the job following a vetting of staff credentials on the orders of the University’s Council.

The vetting, conducted in 2024, also flagged the credentials of another senior official of the university, Issac Abbam, the Director of Physical Development and Estate Management, as having a questionable qualification.  

Both senior staff members were appointed in 2020, during the institution’s formative recruitment phase, after it had been inaugurated in the same year.

The internal vetting exercise was initiated after the university’s Governing Council issued a directive on June 30, 2023, to audit the credentials of all senior staff, starting with deans and directors. This followed a report by The Fourth Estate, which revealed the use of fake credentials by a staff member at C.K. Tedam University in Navrongo, Upper East Region.

Both Emmanuel Opoku Ware and Isaac Abbam applied for the roles with impressive qualifications and work experience that were sufficient for the positions they sought to occupy. But when the layers were peeled off, one’s Curriculum Vitae (CV) reeked of inaccuracies, while the other lacked the evidence to back it up.

Inconsistencies in the credentials of the internal auditor

On paper, Emmanuel Opoku Ware is a seasoned professional in finance and accounting with certifications from prestigious institutions around the world.

He supposedly holds a PhD in Corporate Finance from the University of Illinois in the USA, multiple MBAs from universities in the US and the UK such as an MBA in Accounting and Finance from the American University in Washington DC, a Master of Business Administration (Finance option) from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom (UK) and a Master’s degree in Advanced Management from Yale University in the United States, among others.

His CV also detailed an array of professional accounting certifications and membership in nearly every prominent accounting body, including a certification from the Institute of Internal Auditors in the USA.

He had previously also worked in universities such as the Sunyani Technical University (formerly Sunyani Polytechnic), Methodist University, and Christian Service University. His voice even reached beyond university campuses when he appeared on TV XYZ’s evening news bulletin on June 19, 2023, to explain Africa’s dependence on foreign aid following a speech by then-President Nana Akufo-Addo.

However, when a vetting committee set up by the Council of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development started digging deeper into his credentials, members were shocked, to say the least.

The credentials of the self-acclaimed chartered accountant raised bright red flags during the vetting process. The committee noted inconsistencies with some of the Master’s degrees he had indicated on his CV.

These led the committee to seek further information on him from some tertiary institutions where he claimed to have worked in the past, in addition to the evaluation of his certificates. The response from the Sunyani Technical University, for example, revealed that a Master of Science degree certificate, which Mr Opoku Ware claimed to have obtained from the Redding University in the United States, was fake.

The vetting committee also found that Mr Opoku Ware never attended the American University in the United States, where he claimed to have earned an MBA in Accounting and Finance and a Master of Philosophy Degree in Business Administration.

Again, while he stated on an updated CV requested by the vetting committee that he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the certificate he presented was rather from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Additional checks showed that Emmanuel Opoku Ware was never a Vice Dean at the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) University College in Ho in the Volta Region, as he claimed as part of his work experience.

According to the vetting committee at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Mr Opoku Ware did not disclose that he had been dismissed from Sunyani Polytechnic (now Sunyani Technical University).

Subsequently, an assessment was carried out by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), which found that his PhD in Corporate Finance from the University of Illinois was also “not genuine”.

The committee, therefore, concluded that Mr Opoku Ware had indulged in “fraudulent misrepresentation through false claims on his curriculum vitae, as a result of which he had been considered for [the] position as Director of Internal Audit of the university.”

He flunked the interview but got the job

Mr Opoku Ware’s charade started right from his job interview. Despite his impressive qualifications, The Fourth Estate found that he failed to impress the interview panel. The panel concluded that he did not “appear adequately prepared and experienced for the position of Internal Auditor” and, therefore, recommended that he should not be appointed.

Strangely, the panel’s recommendation fell on deaf ears. Mr Opoku Ware was appointed as Director of Internal Audit, a role he held for three years until he was dismissed.

A case of patronage?

According to the credential vetting report, management explained that Emmanuel Opoku Ware was appointed despite failing the interview because the then Education Minister, Mathew Opoku Prempeh, recommended him for the role.

“The [minister’s] recommendation was based on the applicant’s immense work experience in both private and public organisations, including start-ups/young businesses,” the report said.

However, Dr Opoku Prempeh refuted the allegation and insisted that he does not know anyone by the name Emmanuel Opoku Ware.

“It is not the Minister’s job. [Recruitment] is the responsibility of the university and not the Ministry of Education,” he said in an interview with The Fourth Estate.

In what appears to be a corroboration of the former Education Minister’s position, the dismissed internal auditor acknowledged the speculation surrounding his appointment, noting that people often link his name to that of Dr. Opoku Prempeh.

He, however, suggested that it was possible the similarity in their names played a role in the selection process.

Mr. Opoku Ware, however, insists that he was qualified for the role.

“How would you say an auditor who has practised for so many years as an accountant,” he asked in an interview with The Fourth Estate. “How will you even say that the person doesn’t qualify to work as an internal auditor?”

He said he was not recommended for the role, but spotted the job advertisement in a newspaper, applied and was later shortlisted for an interview.

Mr Opoku Ware’s journey in academia started at the Sunyani Technical University (then Sunyani Polytechnic) in 2008, after he caught the attention of the Rector with a presentation at a rural bank event. Impressed by his performance, the Rector offered him a position to teach accounting and related courses.

But an assessment by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) uncovered troubling issues with his academic qualifications. The board found that some of the institutions Mr Opoku Ware claimed to have attended were not accredited in their home countries. As a result, the polytechnic terminated his appointment on Friday, December 12, 2014. His dismissal was documented in the Auditor-General’s report on the Public Accounts of Ghana Polytechnics for 2013 and 2014.

No certificates to show

In the case of Issac Abbam, the UESD vetting committee’s report noted that when he applied for the role of Director of Physical Development, he claimed to possess a PhD in Project Management from the University of Azteca in Mexico, awarded in 2020, and another PhD in Project Management which he received from Universidad Empresarial De Costa Rica (UNEM) in 2016.  He also listed a Master of Science Certificate in Engineering Project Management from Coventry University in the UK, obtained in 2013.

But when the committee requested evidence of these qualifications, Mr Abbam could not produce the certificates for both PhDs.

University says no evidence of Abbam’s enrolment

The Fourth Estate wrote to the University of Azteca in Mexico and Universidad Empresarial De Costa Rica, to find out if Mr Abbam had been admitted and pursued PhD programmes in the two institutions.

The Mexican university, however, demanded a copy of Mr Abbam’s certificate to verify the claims The Fourth Estate was investigating.

In response, Mario Quiros, the Costan University’s Assistant Secretary, Registrar’s Office, said, “Please note that said Mr. Abbam cannot be located in our graduate database. Therefore, we cannot confirm him as PhD holding alumnus of our institution.”

In a follow-up email, the university clarified that although Isaac Abbam had been recommended by a Ghanaian university for consideration of his dissertation, he was never actually enrolled as a student there—nor did he complete or graduate from any of the university’s PhD programs.

Prof. Jonathan Narh Ayertey, then Chairman of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development’s (UESD) Governing Council, told The Fourth Estate that Mr. Abbam explained that he had not completed payment of his school fees and, as a result, the institution had withheld his doctoral certificates. His master’s degree, however, was verified as authentic and relevant to the role.

While he wasn’t dismissed, the committee instructed Mr Abbam to stop using the title “Doctor” while working at the university until he could provide official proof of his so-called Ph.Ds.

Lapses in institutional oversight

Like Emmanuel Opoku Ware, Mr Abbam was also not the interviewing panel’s choice but was nonetheless picked for the job. The panel ranked him fifth with a score of 76 per cent, but he was chosen over another candidate who scored 78 per cent. Ironically, the more qualified candidate was instead appointed to serve as Abbam’s assistant.

When The Fourth Estate contacted Isaac Abbam for comment, his response in a text message was: “I’m aware that your outfit wrote to the University to enquire some information with respect to vetting from the Registrar and Vice Chancellor, which the University responded. For now, I think it’s better for you to write to the University, in case you need more information. Thank you.”

In both cases of Isaac Abbam and Emmanuel Opoku Ware, there is a pattern: candidates who performed better were overlooked, and their names never made it to the University Council for approval.

Ordinarily, the University’s Governing Council is expected to review and approve top-level appointments such as professors and directors, while the Vice-Chancellor appoints all staff up to the level of Senior Lecturers. But in the cases of Emmanuel Opoku Ware and Isaac Abbam, management proceeded with the appointments and issued letters without proper Council involvement.

Prof. Ayertey explained that when a summary of the appointments was eventually presented, he questioned the procedure, but as students had already arrived and teaching needed to commence, the process could not be delayed.

The Council never received the full interview reports, which contained comments and scores the panel awarded to the candidates, Prof. Ayertey disclosed.

According to the Council Chair, forming the vetting committee alone to verify employees’ credentials was a struggle due to resistance from some staff members.

On August 14, 2023, the university’s unions, made up of Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) and Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU-GH), wrote to the Council Chair to request that the vetting exercise be halted.

Asked whether the university had encountered situations where people had applied for employment with fake credentials, the Vice Chancellor of UESD, Prof Eric Nyarko-Sampson, responded in the affirmative in an email, claiming, however, that he only knew of two persons who had applied for administrative assistant and security guard positions.

It was only when The Fourth Estate pointed out the irregularities discovered by the credential vetting committee that Prof. Nyarko-Sampson acknowledged the two incidents and confirmed that one has since been sacked and the other stripped off the academic title of ‘Doctor’.

He indicated that Isaac Abbam was not sacked because the title in question is not directly related to the position he applied for.

GTEC reaction

Maxwell Kissi, the Chief Director of Credential Evaluation at Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), explained that it’s the responsibility of institutions to verify the authenticity of applicants’ certificates during recruitment. This step, he said, must form part of the internal quality assurance processes of institutions. GTEC only steps in as the external oversight body to ensure the rules have been properly followed.

“There can’t and shouldn’t be a situation where a staff is recruited without the authenticity of the certificate being confirmed,” he said.

Maxwell Kissi acknowledged that while it happens that some university applicants present fake certificates to get jobs, it is not as widespread in Ghana as in some other countries. Yet, he stressed the critical role of a robust quality assurance process, not only for protecting institutional reputations but also for safeguarding the public interest.

“If you think about the effect that somebody with a fake certificate can have on the university and the nation as a whole, you can’t joke with the process. You can’t, for whatever reason, decide to side-step that process. It is a very, very important process which helps to maintain the standards set for us,” he said.

According to the 2014 audit report, the employment of Emmanuel Opoku Ware by the Sunyani Polytechnic, despite the failure to authenticate his certificates, was a result of a lapse in the Appointments and Promotions Board’s obligation to exercise utmost due diligence.

As a result, Sunyani Polytechnic [now Sunyani Technical University] and the University of Environment and Sustainable Development paid him salaries and allowances he didn’t deserve, all funded by the taxpayer.

According to the report, attempts to determine salaries paid him during his “unlawful engagement” at the Sunyani Technical University proved futile as management could not submit all salary vouchers for the review period. Although the Auditor-General recommended that the university recover the full amount with interest, Opoku Ware claims that after his dismissal, he never heard from the institution again.

Dismissal not enough

In both cases at the Sunyani Polytechnic and the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Emmanuel Opoku Ware was dismissed after it emerged that he did not have the right credentials. Still, he walked away without any demand for him to refund the salaries and allowances wrongly paid to him.

The GTEC Director of Credential Evaluation believes that it is not enough. He recommended that, in such cases, institutions should involve the police to initiate criminal investigations to allow the courts to determine appropriate punishment.

“It is very, very possible that if you just sack somebody, he will quietly move out, hide somewhere for a short while for things to settle down and then appear somewhere else,” Mr. Kissi said. “If we don’t publish these things, just as we publish the list of unaccredited institutions, they will continue.”