The Alumni of the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University in Ghana, has petitioned the Governing Board of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), asking that the board should intervene in the decision not to recognise SMC University degrees by the Commission.
Related article: All Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) issued by Swiss Management Centre (SMC) not recognised by GTEC
According to the Alumni, which has Maxwel Gakpo as its President of the Ghana Chapter, they recognise and support the Commission's mandate to safeguard quality and integrity in higher education.
However, to them, "such a mandate must be exercised within the confines of the law, fairness, and administrative propriety."
In a petition dated October 27, 2025, signed on behalf of the Alumni by their lawyer, Martin L. Kpebu and addressed to the Board Chairman of GTEC and copied to Maxwel Gakpo as President, SMC University Alumni Association (Ghana Chapter), they argued that they were duly awarded those doctoral degrees by SMC University (Switzerland) after completing the prescribed studies.
They argued that "SMC was formally registered and recognised in 2012 and 2015 as a foreign institution by the then National Accreditation Board (NAB) to operate in Ghana, offering graduate programmes including Doctor of Finance (DFin), Doctor of Management (DoM), Doctor of Political Economy (DoPE) and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).
Read this also for details on the Certificate of Recognition in 2012: SMC University has never received Certificate of Accreditation in Ghana, certificates from SMC not recognised - GTEC reiterates
However, according to the Alumni, "acting under this foreign accreditation and registration in Ghana, the University lawfully admitted Ghanaian students who completed their studies and were duly awarded degrees.
GTEC's position
GTEC, on its part, has clarified that the foreign-based Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University from Switzerland only received a Certificate of Recognition in 2012 by the then National Accreditation Board (NAB), which was later revoked due to quality assurance and accreditation breaches.
To GTEC, SMC never received a Certificate of Accreditation.
It is based on this that GTEC in a recent circular dated October 21, 2025 clarified that it does not recognise all Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) certificates issued by the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University from Switzerland.
Also not recognised by GTEC it said was the SMC collaborative Top-up Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) awarded by Universidad Central de Nicaragua (UCN).
The October 21, 2025, public notice, GTEC indicated supersedes all previous communications issued by the erstwhile National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the current GTEC on the matter.
It follows that notice that the SMC Alumni petitioned the GTEC board to intervene.
GTEC has since responded in a letter dated October 31, 2025, acknowledging receipt of the petition from the Alumni.
It said it will schedule for deliberation at its forthcoming meeting of the Board.
It said a formal response will be communicated upon the Board's resolution on the matter.
Attached below is the full detail of what is contained in the petition, a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online
Dear Sir,
PETITION FOR BOARD INTERVENTION REGARDING THE NON-RECOGNITION OF SMC UNIVERSITY DEGREES BY THE DIRECTOR-
GENERAL OF GTEC
W e act as lawyers for Swiss Management Center (SMC) University Alumni Association (Ghana Chapter), hereinafter 'our clients' and have our clients' instructions to draw up and respectfully present this petition t o your esteemed office to reverse the illegal derecognition of our clients' doctoral degrees SMC University (Switzerland).
Our clients' instructions are as follows.
Background
- This petition is presented in pursuit of fairness, equity, administrative justice, and the protection of the fundamental human rights of our clients.
- Our clients were duly awarded those doctoral degrees by SMC University (Switzerland) after completing the prescribed studies.
- SMC University was formally registered and recognized in 2012 and 2015 as a foreign institution by the then National Accreditation Board (NAB) to operate in Ghana, offering graduate programmes including the Doctor of Finance (DFin), Doctor of Management (DoM), Doctor of Political Economy (DoPE) and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). Acting under this foreign accreditation and registration in Ghana, the University lawfully admitted Ghanaian students who completed their studies and were duly awarded degrees.
- In 2018, the NAB (now GTEC under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 - Act 1023) withdrew the University's accreditation due to its "Home-Country Accreditation Status" but clearly permitted those already enrolled to complete their studies, thereby recognizing the validity of degrees conferred before that date in line with the presumption of retrospectivity principle.
- Following the transition to GTEC, the Commission maintained this position. Indeed, multiple official communications confirmed that degrees earned before the withdrawal of NAB Registration remained valid.
The Current Issue - Recently, under the administration of the current Director-General, GTEC issued a public directive purporting to declare that all certificates issued by SMC University are not recognized. GTEC further instructed employers and institutions to be guided accordingly. This directive, which our clients understand was not sanctioned by the GTEC Governing Board, contradicts the earlier decisions and communications of GTEC itself. It effectively annuls the legitimacy of degrees awarded under valid NAB accreditation. As a result, numerous SMC alumni have suffered serious professional and reputational harm, including demotions, non-recognition of academic titles, and loss of employment opportunities.
Grounds for Petition - It is the case of our client that with due respect, the said directive is procedurally and substantively irregular on the following grounds: Ultra vires action, breach of legitimate expectation, administrative inconsistency, and unlawful retrospective effect.
Ultra Vires Action - The directive was issued without the approval o r ratification of the Governing Board, contrary to the governance structure established under Act 1023.
Unlawful Retrospective Effect - The directive seeks to apply retrospectively to degrees lawfully earned years earlier, contrary to established legal principles and best regulatory practices. The Constitution of Ghana (1992) prohibits retrospectivity under article 107.
Consequently, it cannot be the law that an institution in Ghana is permitted to take a decision that has a retrospective effect. Similarly, there is a violation of section 22(5) of Act 1023. By analogy to provisions governing the revocation of charters, academic awards made before a revocation remain valid. Therefore, awards made under valid accreditation cannot be retroactively invalidated.
Breach of Legitimate Expectation - Graduates enrolled and completed under valid accreditation have legitimate expectations that their degrees would be recognized permanently. Indeed the Commission has subsequently evaluated and accepted degrees issued by the university in recent times.
Denial o f Natural Justice and Due Process - Our clients, and even the institution concerned, were neither consulted nor afforded a hearing before the directive was issued. The principle of natural justice is well recognized and applied by administrative bodies which are enjoined by the Constitution (1992) to be fair in their dealing with the public. In the circumstances, administrative justice has not been served in this case.
The directive reverses prior official communications and recognitions issued by GTEC/NAB, creating confusion and unfair treatment o f innocent graduates.
Consequences o f the Directive
The cumulative effect of this directive has been devastating to our clients and other hundreds of SMC graduates i n Ghana, a s further explained below.
i. Reputational damage could result from the perception that our clients' degrees are fraudulent or derecognised.
ii. Severe psychological distress and erosion of trust in Ghana's higher-education regulatory framework.
Reliefs Sought
In view of the foregoing, our clients humbly request the Governing Board to do as follows.
i. Set aside the directive issued by the Director-General declaring SMC University degrees derecognized, pending full review by the Board.
ii. Reaffirm the validity of degrees obtained under NAB accreditation up to 2018, in accordance with principles of fairness, equity, good conscience, and statutory continuity.
iii. Issue an official clarification to all employers, professional bodies, and the general public to correct the perception misrepresentation and misperceptions regarding the status of SMC University awards obtained during the valid accreditation period.
Conclusion
The Alumni Association recognizes and supports the Commission's mandate to safeguard quality and integrity i n higher education. However, such a mandate must be exercised within the confines of law, fairness, and administrative propriety. We therefore appeal for the urgent intervention of the Governing Board to restore confidence i n the regulatory system, protect innocent graduates, and avert possible litigation and public mistrust in GTEC.
We remain available to meet the Board for further engagement on this matter.
Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh
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