The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has directed the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr. Kenneth Ashigbey, to cease the use of the title “Dr.” after ruling that his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) is invalid.

In an official letter dated October 10, 2025, signed by Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdullai, Director-General of GTEC, the Commission stated that a petition had been received questioning Mr. Ashigbey’s use of the title “Dr.”.

A subsequent investigation into his academic credentials revealed several irregularities regarding the authenticity and academic credibility of his doctoral degree.

GTEC’s evaluation found inconsistencies between Mr. Ashigbey’s certificate and transcript, including differences in the institution’s name — the certificate was issued by Swiss Management Centre (SMC), while the transcript bore the name Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University.

The Commission also noted that the institution’s website currently refers to it simply as Swiss Management Centre, which aligns only with the certificate and not the transcript.

Further examination raised concerns about the programme’s academic structure and credibility.

According to GTEC, the transcript showed only seven courses completed over nine years, with unusual credit allocations totaling 26.8 credit hours — significantly below standard doctoral requirements.

The grading and GPA calculations also appeared inconsistent.

The Commission emphasised that the Swiss Management Centre University lost official recognition in Ghana when the National Accreditation Board (NAB) issued a public notice on August 24, 2020, revoking its recognition.

That notice cautioned the public that qualifications from the institution would no longer be valid in Ghana.

Based on these findings, GTEC has declared Mr. Ashigbey’s doctoral qualification invalid under Section 7(i) of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), which gives the Commission the sole mandate to authenticate local and foreign academic credentials.

Mr. Ashigbey has been instructed to immediately stop using the “Dr.” title in all official and public communications, including:

Official documents and correspondence

Institutional and professional profiles

Websites and digital platforms

Letterheads and any other public materials

He has also been ordered to provide evidence of compliance to the Commission.

GTEC warned that failure to comply could lead to regulatory or legal sanctions under Act 1023.

The letter was copied to the Minister of Education for further attention.

Mr. Ashigbey, according to GTEC, had earlier explained that he held a Doctor of Business Administration from the Swiss Management Centre and had no control over how his credentials were reflected online.

He also submitted copies of his certificate and transcript for verification.

However, after scrutiny, GTEC concluded that the degree did not meet recognised academic standards and that its awarding institution lacked valid accreditation at the time of issuance.