Following Eric Oduro Osae's submission of official documents to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to validate his use of the academic title “Dr.”, GTEC has concluded that the joint Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Economy he obtained from the Universidad Central de Nicaragua (UCN) and the Doctor of Political Economy he also obtained from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University from Switzerland in 2015 and 2016 are both invalid.
Acting on a petition that had been sent to GTEC questioning the credentials of Eric Oduro Osae, who is a former Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency, GTEC, in a letter dated October 8, 2025, directed him to provide verifiable evidence supporting his use of the academic title “Dr.”
The GTEC letter, signed by the Director-General, Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, requested that he submit official documentation confirming the conferral of a terminal degree, such as a PhD or EdD, from a recognised and accredited academic institution.
Prior to the letter, GTEC had preliminary discussions with him over his use of the title "Dr".
GTEC noted that it considers the unauthorised or inappropriate use of academic titles a serious offence, describing such acts as misleading and contrary to established academic protocols.
In the October 8 letter, the commission asked Osae to provide the name of the awarding institution, a copy of his degree certificate, and an official academic transcript for verification.
In compliance, Eric Oduro Osae submitted copies of his degree certificate, official transcript, and a degree evaluation letter issued in November 2015 by the former National Accreditation Board (NAB), now succeeded by GTEC.
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In a letter dated October 13, 2025, a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online, GTEC responded and indicated that in 2016, Eric Oduro Osae submitted a certificate from the Universidad Central de Nicaragua (UCN) to the then National Accreditation Board (NAB), requesting its evaluation but NAB declined to recognise the certificate due to the lack of recognition of the inter-university arrangement between UCN and the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University concerning the joint award of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Economy.
Again, it said a review and evaluation of SMC Transcript he submitted to GTEC revealed several anomalies inconsistent with standard academic practices, including: "absence of credit hours for courses, making it unclear how a GPA of 3.0 was determined, unconventional classification of courses into "core" and "specialization" categories."
It said "the thesis titled "Financial Management Practices of Sub-national Governments: Evidence from Ghana" also lacks a course code and credit weighting, making it difficult to assess its role in the doctoral programme, a suspicious course ID formatting and the transcript does not indicate the duration or academic period (semester, trimester, or year) in which courses were taken."
Additionally, the commission indicated that it was noteworthy that despite being requested to provide supporting documentation for his use of the title "Dr.", no certificate from Universidad Central de Nicaragua was submitted.
Also, on a conflicting academic claim, the commission said it was unable to reconcile the conflicting academic claims associated with his qualifications, including: "A purported PhD from the University of London (as indicated on Wikipedia), a Doctorate in Political Economy from SMC, and a PhD in Political Economy from UCN."
It said given the unresolved discrepancies, and in view of the revocation of SMC's recognition by the erstwhile NAB, GTEC, under the authority granted by Section 7(i) of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) - which mandates the Commission to evaluate and authenticate both local and foreign qualifications has therefore declared his certificates from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) and Universidad Central de Nicaragua to be invalid.
"Please be advised that this directive supersedes all previous correspondence from either GTEC or the former NAB."
Accordingly, GTEC has directed Eric Oduro Osae to "immediately cease using the title "Dr." in all forms and representations," and further required to provide verifiable proof that this title has been removed from (but not limited to): "Official documents, Institutional or professional profiles, Websites and digital platforms, Letterheads and any other public or professional materials," the letter said.
Attached below are details from the letter dated October 13, 2025 addressed to Eric Oduro Osae, a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online
Dear Sir,
RE: REQUEST FOR DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE OF ACADEMIC TITLE (DR.)The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) acknowledges receipt of your letter dated 8th October, 2025, regarding the above subject, together with the accompanying certificate of Doctor of Political Economy from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) and its transcript.
Sir, upon receipt of a petition concerning your use of the title "Dr.", the Commission undertook a preliminary review, including a basic internet search. This search led to a Wikipedia entry that suggests you hold a PhD in Political Economy from the University of London.
Again, the Commission during its investigations of your Doctoral title arrived at the following:
1. Swiss Management Centre (SMC) - Records indicate that in 2015, you submitted a Doctor of Political Economy certificate from SMC to the erstwhile National Accreditation Board (NAB), which corresponded with you concerning the comparability of the certificate to any recognized doctoral programme. You later cited this exchange as validation of the certificate's authenticity.
2. Universidad Central de Nicaragua (UCN)-In 2016, you submitted a certificate from UCN to the then NAB, requesting its evaluation. NAB declined to recognize the certificate due to the lack of recognition of the inter-university arrangement between UCN and SMC concerning the joint award of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Economy.
3. Evaluation of SMC Transcript - A review of the transcript submitted to GTEC revealed several anomalies inconsistent with standard academic practices, including:
- Absence of credit hours for courses, making it unclear how a GPA of 3.0 was determined.
- Unconventional classification of courses into "core" and "specialization" categories.
- The thesis titled "Financial Management Practices of Sub-national Governments: Evidence from Ghana" lacks a course code and credit weighting, making it difficult to assess its role in the doctoral programme.
- Suspicious course ID formatting (e.g., 5504/C, 5502/C, 5503/C, 5531/S5532/S, 5533/S, 5534/S, 5535/S).
- The transcript does not indicate the duration or academic period (semester, trimester, or year) in which courses were taken.
4. SMC-UCN Relationship - The Commission is unable to verify the nature of the relationship between SMC and UCN in relation to the awarding of your doctoral degrees. It is unclear whether PhD from UCN is a continuation of, or distinct from, the Doctorate awarded by SMC, or whether SMC was aware of the conferral of a joint degree.Additionally, it is noteworthy that despite being requested to provide supporting documentation for your use of the title "Dr.", no certificate from Universidad Central de Nicaragua was submitted.
5. Conflicting Academic Claims - The Commission is unable to reconcile the conflicting academic claims associated with your qualifications, including:
- A purported PhD from the University of London (as indicated on Wikipedia),
- A Doctorate in Political Economy from SMC,
- A PhD in Political Economy from UCN.
Given these unresolved discrepancies, and in view of the revocation of SMC's recognition by the erstwhile NAB, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), under the authority granted by Section 7(i) of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023)-which mandates the Commission to evaluate and authenticate both local and foreign qualifications-hereby declares the certificates from Swiss Management Centre (SMC) and Universidad Central de Nicaragua to be invalid.
Please be advised that this directive supersedes all previous correspondence from either GTEC or the former NAB.
Accordingly, you are hereby directed to immediately cease using the title "Dr." in all forms and representations. You are further required to provide verifiable proof that this title has been removed from the following (but not limited to):
* Official documents
* Institutional or professional profiles
* Websites and digital platforms
* Letterheads
* Any other public or professional materialsThe Commission expects your full cooperation and prompt compliance. Failure to comply with this directive may result in further regulatory or legal action, as stipulated under Act 1023.
Yours faithfully
PROF. AHMED JINAPOR ABDULAI
DIRECTOR-GENERAL
Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh
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