Parliament has approved amendments to the names of three public universities, effectively removing the personal honours attached to them during the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The approval came during Friday’s sitting on December 19, 2025, through three separate bills that revert the institutions to more neutral, descriptive names focused on their mandates.
The affected universities are: – The Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies in Wa, which will now be known as the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, Wa; the C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Navrongo, which reverts to the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo; and the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development in Kumasi, which will now be called the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi.
The name changes align with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government’s policy, announced earlier in 2025, to reverse what it described as partisan renamings of public institutions carried out under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
According to the NDC, the original renamings honoured prominent figures associated with the Danquah-Busia-Dombo political tradition: Simon Diedong Dombo, a founding member of the Northern People’s Party and key figure in the NPP’s heritage; Clement Kubindiwor (C.K.) Tedam, a long-serving NPP Council of Elders chairman; and Akenten Appiah-Menka, a respected industrialist and politician.
The NDC government, led by President John Dramani Mahama, has argued that naming public universities after individual political figures introduces partisanship into academic institutions and that descriptive names better reflect the non-partisan nature of public education.
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu and Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga had earlier indicated that bills would be introduced to formalise these reversals following extensive consultations with stakeholders, including academic communities, traditional authorities, alumni, and civil society.
While the changes were welcomed by member of the Minority Caucus as depoliticising higher education, members of the Minority NPP caucus, criticised the move as an attempt to erase the legacy of the Akufo-Addo era and take away honours given to promiment who have sacrificed to the development of the state.
The new names will take immediate effect upon gazetting, with the universities expected to update their branding, signage, and official documents accordingly.