In a statement dated January 4, 2024, the prestigious Ghanaian university clarified that it does not conduct direct operations in Nigeria and has not authorised any institution in the country to run its programmes.
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We don't operate in Nigeria - UCC reacts to Nigeria government ban
The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has reacted to reports of it being banned by the Federal Government of Nigeria over the issuance of questionable degrees.
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There had been media reports that three Ghanaian universities, UCC, University of Education, Winneba and Volta University College, Ho, were part of a total of eighteen (18) tertiary institutions banned by Nigeria from operating in that country.
But UCC, in response to the reports, urged the public to disregard them.
“The University of Cape Coast (UCC) does not have any outlet or campus operating in Nigeria, neither has it granted a franchise to any institution in Nigeria to run its programmes.
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”All international students, including Nigerians, wishing to study at UCC apply directly to the University for consideration.
”Management wishes to assure its cherished stakeholders and the general public that the University holds very dear its solid brand as an excellent academic institution with world-wide acclaim and, for that matter, would not do anything untoward to tannish its hard-won reputation ‘as the Number One University in Ghana and West Africa, and the Seventh in Africa, according to the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings,” the statement read in part.
The Nigerian government has taken action against a total of 18 foreign universities, denouncing them as "degree mills" and cautioning Nigerians against enrolling in these institutions.
The ban, issued by the National Universities Commission (NUC), extends to five universities from the United States, six from the United Kingdom, and others in neighbouring countries like Togo and Benin.
In an official statement published on its website, the NUC clarified that the affected universities lacked the necessary licensing from the Federal Government and, as a result, had been shut down.
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According to the statement, "The National Universities Commission wishes to announce to the general public, especially parents and prospective undergraduates that the under-listed 'degree mills' have not been licensed by the Federal Government and have therefore been closed down for violating the Education (National Minimum Standards, etc.) Act of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004."
This move comes in response to an investigative report by a journalist revealing fraudulent practices in the awarding of degrees by universities in Benin and Togo. The exposé by the Daily Nigerian highlighted a thriving certificate racketeering syndicate, particularly in neighbouring African nations, where university degrees were being sold to willing buyers in Nigeria.
The undercover investigation detailed how a reporter obtained a university degree from Cotonou within six weeks at an "affordable rate." The certificate and transcript featured the legitimate scan code of Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, ESGT, Benin Republic, indicating that the reporter purportedly began the program in 2018 and graduated on September 5, 2022.
Below are the 18 universities affected by the Nigerian government’s ban:
1. University of Applied Sciences and Management, Port Novo, Republic of Benin.
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2. Volta University College, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana.
3. The International University, Missouri, USA, with study centres in Kano and Lagos.
4. Columbus University, UK.
5. Tiu International University, UK.
6. Pebbles University, UK.
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7. London External Studies UK.
8. Pilgrims University.
9. West African Christian University.
10. EC-Council University, USA, Ikeja Lagos Study Centre.
11. Concept College/Universities (London), Ilorin.
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12. Houdegbe North American University.
13. Irish University Business School London.
14. University of Education, Winneba, Ghana.
15. Cape Coast University, Ghana.
16. African University Cooperative Development, Cotonou, Benin Republic.
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17. Pacific Western University, Denver, Colorado, Owerri Study Centre.
18. Evangel University of America and Chudick Management Academic, Lagos.
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