Mahama vows to revert original names of Universities renamed by Akufo-Addo

President Mahama, flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), made this commitment during a public address to party supporters, chiefs, and students at Zuarungu in the Upper East Region, he expressed his disapproval of the renaming of some educational institutions, emphasizing the importance of preserving the historical and cultural significance associated with their original names.

During his term in office, President Akufo-Addo initiated the renaming of some universities, citing reasons such as honoring prominent personalities or acknowledging specific contributions to the nation.

However, this move has been met with varying opinions and criticisms, Mahama questioned the rationale behind the NPP government's decision to rename existing universities when, according to him, they have not undertaken the construction of any new universities in the country.

Former President Mahama's promise to restore the original names aligns with his broader vision for education and the preservation of Ghana's historical identity.

“We are known as nation builders because of the number of schools we have built. Every public university was initiated and built by us. All the NPP knows how to do is name universities that people have built. After NDC builds a university, then they will give it the name of one of their heroes or people. We are going to rename the universities. Ghana has many heroes, and not only the heroes of the NPP tradition.

He emphasized, “We can name an administration block, hostel, and library after somebody. However, the university must reflect its core mandate. And so we will restore the original names, and the names that they have given them will be given to significant infrastructure in the universities. And we will add other people and name the infrastructure in the universities after them. But if the university is the University for Development Studies, that is its core mandate. It will be called the University for Development Studies.”