GTEC Orders Traders union President to Drop “Dr.” Title, Threatens Sanctions:

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has instructed Dr. Joseph Obeng, President of the Ghana Traders Union Association, to immediately stop using the “Dr.” title, citing a lack of record of any institution awarding him the academic designation.

In a statement, GTEC emphasized that the continued use of the “Dr.” title would violate the regulations of Ghana’s education system and could lead to disciplinary action. The commission stated that claiming false academic credentials is unethical and that preserving academic integrity requires respecting professional and educational titles.

“The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission has noted your continuous use of the title ‘doctor’, i.e., Dr. Joseph Obeng,” the statement read. “The Commission would like to know the process, the time, and which institution awarded you the doctorate title.”

GTEC expressed concern regarding the increasing prevalence of honorary doctorates being conferred upon individuals by various institutions, both in Ghana and abroad. The commission has cautioned Joseph Obeng to refrain from using the title.

The statement said, “In light of this, the Commission requests that you exercise personal responsibility regarding this issue and refrain from using the honorary title ‘doctor’ – ‘Dr’ – as part of your name. Please be informed that should the directive from the Commission be disregarded, the Commission reserves the right to invoke its regulatory functions to sanction you.”