In a sweeping policy shift aimed at restoring the original visions and identities of Ghana’s public universities, the Mahama-led administration is preparing to introduce legislation in Parliament to rename several institutions, including the C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS).
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu made the disclosure during the swearing-in of the newly constituted Governing Council of CKT-UTAS in Accra, signaling what he described as a broader effort to realign university identities with their foundational mandates.
“After thorough consultations with stakeholders across academia, civil society, traditional leadership, and student groups, we have come to a consensus that some of the universities’ current names do not reflect their original ethos,” the Minister explained.
He emphasized that the government’s intention is not to erase the contributions of personalities after whom some of the institutions were named, but to reinforce their historical and developmental missions.
“This is not an attempt to diminish anyone’s legacy,” Haruna Iddrisu stated. “But the names of our universities must be anchored in their purpose and origins, not just political cycles.”
CKT-UTAS, created in 2021 with a focus on technical and applied sciences, has not only faced infrastructural and developmental challenges since its establishment but has also attracted debate over its naming—especially among sections of the academic and local communities who believed the name did not adequately represent the institution’s mission or regional context.
Sources suggest that other institutions potentially affected by the proposed legislation include the University of Mines and Technology and the Abdulai Salifu University. These and other universities established or renamed during former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s tenure are being assessed under the review.
The upcoming bill, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament in the coming weeks, would provide a legal framework for the renaming process.
Observers view this development as part of a wider ideological recalibration by the Mahama administration, aimed at de-politicizing public educational institutions and emphasizing academic and historical continuity over political symbolism.
