Why Akufo-Addo sacked GES Director-General after extending his contract

In a letter dated October 17, 2022, and signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo terminated the appointment of the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa.

This brought the appointment of the GES boss, who was appointed in 2017, to an end.

According to ges.gov.gh, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa was appointed as Acting Director-General by President Akufo-Addo in April 2017, and he assumed office on May 15, 2017.

He was subsequently confirmed as Director-General in October 2017.

So, why did the president decide to dismiss the GES boss?

According to the letter penned by Nana Bediatuo Asante, the skills of the professor were no longer required at the GES.

“The Ministry of Education has informed this office that the exigencies that required your skills and expertise as Director-General of the Ghana Education Service do not exist any longer.

“The President thanks you for your service to the nation and wishes you the very best in your future endeavours,” the letter said.

The letter, however, stated that Prof. Opoku-Amankwa has been directed to return to his position at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

Until his appointment as the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa was an associate professor at the KNUST and also served as the Dean of the International Programmes Office (IPO) of the university.

It is worth mentioning that Prof Opoku-Amankwa’s contract as GES boss was extended in June 2021, to which the presidency has since stated that it did in breach of the law.

The letter on his dismissal added that the extended contract was in “contravention of the Human Resource Policy Frame and manual of the Public Services Commission as it purports to extend your secondment beyond the 3-year maximum limit.”

About Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa:

He was appointed as Acting Director-General by H.E. the President of the Republic of Ghana in April 2017. He assumed office on the 15th of May 2017 and was subsequently confirmed as Director-General in October 2017.

He is an Associate Professor at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi and was the Dean of the University’s International Programmes Office (IPO) prior to his appointment.

He has held a number of other leadership positions, including the Dean and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Art and Head of the Department of Publishing Studies at KNUST. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) in Language and Education from the University of Reading in the UK, a Master of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies, both from the University of Ghana. He had his first degree in Social Sciences at the then University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) in Language and Education from the University of Reading in the UK, a Master of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Communication Studies, both from the University of Ghana. He had his first degree in Social Sciences at the then University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. He attended Suhum Secondary Technical School and proceeded to Wesley College in Kumasi, where he obtained his post-secondary teacher certificate. He taught at various levels of pre-tertiary education for over ten years prior to becoming a lecturer at KNUST in 1999.

Prof Opoku-Amankwa has considerable knowledge on the social, political, economic, and cultural life of Ghana, having studied, worked, and researched in a number of communities of the country for over three decades.

Prof’s broad background in academic and educational leadership, language, literacy, and education, mass media, classroom communication; and educational publishing is an asset to GES.