Prof Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai - Director-General of GTEC

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SMC University has never received Certificate of Accreditation in Ghana, certificates from SMC not recognised - GTEC reiterates

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Education Nov - 05 - 2025 , 08:22 5 minutes read

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. SMC never received a Certificate of Accreditation, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has clarified.

Accra Technical University directed to reverse the promotion of staff who used an SMC certificate to gain promotion to the rank of Associate Professor

Following this, GTEC has directed the Acting Vice Chancellor of the Accra Technical University (ATU), formerly Accra Polytechnic, to reverse the promotion to the rank of Associate Professor of one Jones Ntiamoah, who presented a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) certificate from SMC University in support of his promotion.

According to GTEC, certificates from SMC are not recognised as terminal degrees and do not qualify holders to serve as faculty members of a university in Ghana or to use them for purposes of academic or career progression.

The said DBA is only classified as a professional doctorate and does not constitute a terminal academic degree. Accordingly, it must not be used as the basis for academic progression or promotion, particularly to senior academic ranks such as Associate Professor or Professor.

2012 Recognition for SMC

It said the Certificate of Foreign Registration dated September 1, 2012, given to SMC in 2012 by the then National Accreditation Board (NAB) was only a Certificate of Recognition and not a Certificate of Accreditation.

“A Certificate of Recognition does not constitute a Certificate of Accreditation. For your information, this document merely serves as a Preparatory Certificate intended to facilitate the process for institutions seeking to establish campuses in Ghana – whether through regular or online modes – towards obtaining full Institutional Accreditation,” GTEC stated.

Accreditation status of SMC University

For clarity purposes, GTEC explained that SMC University has never received institutional accreditation either from its home country, Switzerland, or from the Republic of Ghana – formerly under the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and currently under the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

This explanation was offered in a letter dated November 4, 2025, and addressed to the Acting Vice Chancellor of the Accra Technical University (ATU) in which GTEC had directed that the promotion of one Jones Ntiamoah, who had presented a DBA certificate from SMC and had been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, should be reversed.

Status of the DBA Award

GTEC reiterated that the DBA awarded by SMC to Jones Ntiamoah was not recognised as a terminal degree.

“Consequently, it does not qualify the holder to serve as a faculty member of a university in Ghana or to use it for purposes of academic or career progression,” the letter titled “PROMOTION OF JONES NTIAMOAH TO THE RANK OF ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR,” signed by the Director-General of GTEC, Prof Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online stated.

The letter followed an earlier correspondence between GTEC and the Acting Vice Chancellor of the Accra Technical University on the said promotion.

GTEC had earlier received a petition regarding the promotion of Jones Ntiamoah.

GTEC, in its earlier correspondence with the management of ATU, emphasized that the DBA is "classified as a professional doctorate and does not constitute a terminal academic degree. Accordingly, it must not be used as the basis for academic progression or promotion, particularly to senior academic ranks such as Associate Professor or Professor."

It therefore directed ATU to reverse the appointment of Jones Ntiamoah and only reinstate him upon the submission and verification of a valid terminal academic degree from an institution recognised by GTEC.

In response, ATU and Jones Ntiamoah presented the 2012 Certificate of Recognition issued by NAB to SMC support their case.

Programme Accreditation

But explaining, GTEC indicated that the DBA programme from SMC, along with all other programmes offered by the SMC University, have never received Programme Accreditation, which is a mandatory requirement for the delivery of such programmes.

Revocation of Certificate of Recognition

It recalled that the erstwhile National Accreditation Board (NAB), due to quality assurance and accreditation breaches on the part of SMC University, revoked the Certificate of Recognition.

“This position has since been reaffirmed by the Commission [GTEC] in its recent communique addressed to all Heads of Institutions, including your [ATU] esteemed office,” it said.

It said, considering the foregoing and other related considerations, “the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) hereby reiterates its directive that the appointment of Jones Ntiamoah ... [should] be reversed with immediate effect. Please provide evidence of compliance to the Commission no later than 30th November, 2025."

“Be advised that failure to comply with this directive will compel the Commission to invoke the relevant regulatory sanctions against your institution.”

“We count on your continued cooperation in upholding the standards of academic integrity and maintaining the credibility of tertiary education in Ghana.

Issues with SMC

The issue of SMC University and its DBA programme has been up for public discussion in the last 10 years. The accreditation institution in Ghana has always maintained its position on the said breaches by SMC and why it has no accreditation to run its programmes in Ghana.

Many individuals in Ghana have since attended and obtained certificates from SMC and the GTEC, led by its Director-General, Prof Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai has recently been on a campaign reiterating why such certificates are not valid in Ghana.

The Ghana Chapter of the Alumni of SMC has petitioned the GTEC board asking that asking certificates of up to 2018 should be recognised by GTEC. Read also: SMC Alumni petitions GTEC board asking SMC University certificates of up to 2018 to be recognised by GTEC