The Fourth Estate’s response to University’s rejoinder on fake credentials story

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) issued a rejoinder on July 14, 2025, claiming there were inaccuracies in The Fourth Estate’s publication titled “Fake Credentials: Ghanaian University forced to dismiss internal auditor censures facilities manager.”

Below are The Fourth Estate’s responses to the claims in the University’s rejoinder.

1. On the Use of the Vetting Committee’s Interim Report
The claim that The Fourth Estate relied largely on an interim report rather than the final report of the Credentials Vetting Committee (CVC) is wrong. Our publication was based on both the interim and final reports. While the interim report highlighted the concerns raised during the vetting process, it was the final report that provided the basis for many of the critical findings published. 

The vetting exercise uncovered that the then Director of Internal Audit, Mr. Emmanuel Opoku Ware’s PhD in Corporate Finance, which he claimed to have received from the University of Illinois, was deemed “not genuine” by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). He was also dismissed from Sunyani Polytechnic (now Sunyani University) in 2014 after it was found that he applied for a role as a lecturer with fake certificates.

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.

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. 

Mr Isaac Abbam, the Director of Physical Development and Estate Management, on the other hand, could not provide proof for the two PhDs he claimed to possess from the University of Azteca in Mexico and Universidad Empresarial De Costa Rica. 

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. Universidad Empresarial De Costa Rica confirmed Mr. Abbam had been recommended, but he did not enroll or graduate from the University.

2. On the Alleged ‘Pushback’ by Staff Unions

The University of Environment and Sustainable Development’s claim that The Fourth Estate inaccurately attributed the term “pushback” to the former Council Chairman is false. Nowhere in our publication was that word used. Instead, we referred to “some resistance from some staff members.”

The resistance was documented in a joint letter dated August 14, 2023, from four staff unions (GAUA, UTAG, SSA-UoG, and TEWU-GH). The unions described the University Council’s planned staff credential vetting as “perplexing”, especially since a similar exercise had been scheduled by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). They argued that the move conflicted with best practices in Human Resource Management and contradicted the university’s draft statutes. They also argued that all staff members had already gone through recruitment processes which led to their appointments, and insisted that concerns about specific individuals’ credentials should be resolved directly with the persons involved. Citing financial constraints, the unions called for the cancellation of the exercise because they felt that the timing was wrong.

Furthermore, GTEC’s vetting scheduled for June 24, 2023, was never conducted. When The Fourth Estate followed up, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Eric Nyarko-Sampson, explained that the university informed GTEC it could not afford the evaluation fees but was unaware why the Commission ultimately failed to carry out the audit. The Council Chairman, Professor Jonathan Narh Ayertey, issued the directive initiating the university’s own vetting process on June 30, 2023, after GTEC’s exercise failed to come off.

UESD informed GTEC that it could not afford the evaluation fees but was unaware of why the audit didn’t proceed. On June 30, 2023, Council Chairman Prof. Jonathan Narh Ayertey directed the University to begin its own vetting process.

3. On the Appointment of Mr. Emmanuel Opoku Ware

According to UESD, its decision to settle on Mr. Emmanuel Opoku Ware was based on his extensive industry experience as submitted during the recruitment process. They also added that “the alternative candidate did not possess the post-qualification experience for the role of Director in the event that Mr. Opoku Ware had not been appointed”. 

However, the final report on the vetting exercise clearly stated that the interview panel did not find Mr. Opoku Ware suitable for the position of Director of Internal Audit.

According to the report, the university’s management claimed his appointment was on a recommendation from the then Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, based on the applicant’s supposed immense work experience in both private and public organisations, including start-ups. Yet, both Dr. Opoku Prempeh and Mr. Opoku Ware told The Fourth Estate that they were unaware of such a recommendation. The vetting committee, in its report, criticised management’s handling of the matter, stating, “while the committee appreciates the difficulty faced by Management with the Minister’s request, it felt that the matter should have been brought to the attention of Council immediately rather than sneak the applicant into the interviewee pool.” The report also noted that the applicant who was considered by the interviewing panel to have performed far better was not presented to the Council. 

4. On Mr. Isaac Abbam’s Claimed PhDs
Again, the university argues that Mr. Isaac Abbam’s PhD was not a requirement for his appointment as Director of Physical Development and Estate Management.  

The Fourth Estate noted clearly that a PhD was not a requirement for the role he applied for and held. Rather, the publication highlighted inconsistencies in Mr. Abbam’s academic claims.

According to the vetting committee, Mr. Abbam claimed to hold PhDs from the University of Azteca and Universidad Empresarial De Costa Rica but failed to present the certificates.

When The Fourth Estate contacted the institutions, Universidad Empresarial De Costa Rica confirmed Mr. Abbam had been recommended, but he neither enrolled nor graduated.

In line with journalistic ethics, The Fourth Estate reached out to UESD on February 17, 2025, for a response. The University offered to respond in writing. However, the Vice-Chancellor failed to respond until a follow-up letter was sent on March 19, 2025.