Cabinet has directed that all public universities renamed during former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration revert to their original names, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga announced in Parliament on Tuesday, October 21.
Delivering his remarks on the floor of Parliament after the House reconvened from recess, Hon. Ayariga, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, said a bill would soon be laid before the House to give legal effect to the directive.
“Mr. Speaker, there has been a Cabinet directive to revert the names of all universities that were renamed after individuals back to their original titles. A bill will be presented to this House to implement this change,” he told MPs.
The announcement follows a period of widespread renaming of tertiary institutions under the Akufo-Addo government, when several public universities and technical institutions were renamed to honour distinguished national figures. Among them were the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), renamed George Grant University of Mines and Technology in 2018; the Wa campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS), renamed Simon Dombu University of Business and Integrated Development Studies; and the Navrongo campus of UDS, renamed C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences. Ho Technical University was also renamed Ephraim Amu Technical University.
The renaming exercise, however, attracted criticism from the then-opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which argued that the move was politically motivated and failed to reflect broad national consensus.
Hon. Ayariga further indicated that Parliament will have a busy legislative calendar in the coming weeks, as several education-related bills are expected to be tabled. These include proposed laws on the Ghana Book Development Council, the University of Engineering and Agricultural Science at Bunsu, the College of Education, the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Chain, the National Teaching Council, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the National Schools Inspectorate Authority, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.
He noted that once these proposals receive Cabinet approval, Parliament will not only process the bills but also begin deliberations on the 2026 national budget.
The directive to restore original university names signals a major policy shift in the government’s approach to higher education governance and identity — one that may rekindle national debate over how public institutions should honour Ghana’s historical figures.
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