UG female alumni urge global donors to suspend funding over revived ‘sex-for-grades’ concerns

A group of female alumni from the University of Ghana is calling on major international donors to halt financial support to the institution, citing concerns over its handling of a high-profile “sex-for-grades” scandal.

In a letter dated 18 November 2025, the ad-hoc group—known informally as the “Girl Power” alumni—argues that the university’s response to the 2019 BBC Africa Eye exposé on sexual misconduct fell short of global standards on gender equality and student protection.

They say this makes the university ineligible for development assistance tied to women’s safety and institutional accountability.

The BBC investigation, which deployed undercover reporters across universities in Ghana and Nigeria, implicated two lecturers at the University of Ghana, including Professor Ransford Gyampo of the Political Science Department.

A fact-finding committee subsequently established prima facie breaches of the university’s code of conduct.

In February 2020, the university suspended Professor Gyampo for six months without pay and directed him to undergo mandatory training on its sexual harassment policy, along with annual assessments for five years.

Professor Gyampo has consistently denied wrongdoing, insisting he was targeted unfairly and at the time threatened legal action against the BBC.

The alumni group maintains that the sanctions imposed were insufficient and failed to dismantle what they describe as entrenched power structures that disadvantage female students.

They note that the issue has resurfaced in public discourse following a recent confrontation involving Professor Gyampo and another academic, which was captured on video and circulated widely on social media.

According to the group, the university’s approach violates the strict gender-protection requirements of several global donors.

Their letter specifically names the European Union, JICA, the Wellcome Trust, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other major partners whose funding, they argue, should be frozen until the university enforces stronger accountability measures.

The petition is viewed as a direct push for the permanent removal of Professor Gyampo, who was recently appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority—a development that has intensified public scrutiny of the controversy.