End fake titles, certificates saga - Lecturer advocates law-backed national database of professional titles

A lecturer at the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), Iddrisu Fuseini, has called for the introduction of a national database to help crack down on individuals parading fake certificates and unearned titles in the country.

The call was in response to the growing concern about the proliferation of fraudulent certificates and titles, which has become alarmingly common in recent times.

The lecturer explained that a national database or system could offer easy verification to protect the integrity of the country’s accreditation process and ensure efficient recognition of academic and professional titles.

Mr Fuseini suggested that the proposed database must be backed by a law which mandates media houses, public institutions and other relevant bodies to verify professional titles before using them in public communication.

He therefore urged the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to take the lead in championing the cause, given their respective regulatory mandates.

“This issue of fake certificate and titles are becoming far too frequent and I believe the earlier you develop a system to address them the better it will be for protecting the integrity of our accreditation processes and the recognition of academic and professional titles in Ghana,” Mr Fuseini said in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra.

Online portal

He proposed that under the new system, individuals in Ghana who hold academic degrees with professional titles such as ‘Doctor’ or ‘Esquire’ and wish to be officially recognised as such would be required to apply through an online portal and pay a verification fee to have their credentials authenticated before using those titles in the country.

He said applicants should be made to complete an online form, where they provide essential information, including the awarding institution's name, enrolment and completion years, and specific programme or course details, where applicable.

He said upon submission, GTEC or GSA should formally contact the institution to verify the applicant’s claims and confirm whether the awarding body was accredited and its qualifications recognised in Ghana.

“If the applicant successfully passes the verification process, a certificate of recognition and a unique search verification code should be issued by GTEC or GSA, affirming the legitimacy of the qualification and the right to use the associated title within the country.

“An official online database should be created to store the records of all recognised certificates and titles.

This database should be accessible to the public at a small fee for the purpose of verifying the credentials of any individual with the unique verification code,” he said.  

“For example, if someone presents himself to a media house as Dr X, the media house should be able to verify that within three minutes to decide whether to recognise the title or not,” he explained further. 

Role of the media

The UniMAC lecturer stated that this step was crucial because the media often legitimised fraudulent titles.

He said repeated media references to individuals with unearned titles could make them seem valid, even if they did not qualify for them.

“A law should be passed mandating media houses, public institutions and other relevant bodies to verify professional titles through this system before using them in public communication.

“Any entity that addresses someone using a title not validated by the system should be liable to a fine,” he added.