Accra, Ghana – February 19, 2026 – A fresh storm is brewing over the appointment of Professor Ransford Gyampo as the head of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), after a private citizen formally petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to dismiss him.
The petitioner, Perpetual L. Akwadaa, has submitted a formal request to the presidency arguing that Prof. Gyampo’s continued tenure as Chief Executive Officer is a stain on the government's integrity. The call for his removal stems from his implication in the explosive 2019 BBC Africa Eye documentary, which investigated "Sex for Grades" practices in West African universities.
In her petition, sighted by GhanaWeb on Thursday, February 19, 2026, Ms. Akwadaa contends that appointing an individual publicly linked to such serious allegations sends a deeply troubling message. She argues that it undermines public trust and signals a tolerance for misconduct, regardless of the professional nature of the GSA's mandate.
"Admittedly, the core mandate of the Shippers Authority is commerce-facing, and maybe the Government did not consider how appointing someone of Prof. Gyampo's profile may adversely affect other sectors of our holistic development drive," the petition reads. "However, appointing a person publicly associated with sexual harassment allegations to a position of influence sends a harmful signal to the vulnerable that, in Ghana, power shields misconduct."
Ms. Akwadaa emphasized that the President must seize this opportunity to demonstrate a firm stance against sexual harassment. She stated that revoking the appointment would be a powerful affirmation of Ghana's dedication to protecting women and girls, aligning with the 2025 Code of Conduct that explicitly forbids sexual harassment by public officials.
Background of the Controversy
The petition resurrects the controversy from October 2019, when the BBC documentary secretly filmed four academics from the University of Ghana and the University of Lagos. The undercover investigation showed lecturers allegedly making inappropriate advances and demanding sexual favors from undercover journalists posing as prospective students in exchange for grades.
Prof. Gyampo was among the University of Ghana lecturers featured in the documentary. While the university subsequently cleared him and his colleague, Dr. Paul Kwame Butakor, of any wrongdoing following an internal investigation, the incident has remained a point of contention in public discourse. Prof. Gyampo has previously alleged that the exposé was orchestrated because he was being considered for a major political position at the time.
As of now, there has been no official response from the Presidency or Prof. Gyampo regarding the fresh petition.
