ACCRA – The administration of President John Mahama has announced plans to overturn the controversial renaming of two public universities initiated by his predecessor, Nana Akufo-Addo.
The government confirmed it is preparing to introduce draft legislation to parliament to formally reverse the decision, which altered the identities of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) and the University for Development Studies (UDS).
Under President Akufo-Addo’s tenure, the University of Energy and Natural Resources was renamed the K.A Busia University of Energy and Natural Resources, in honor of Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia, Ghana’s Prime Minister from 1969 to 1972.
Similarly, the Wa campus of the University for Development Studies was rebranded as the Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies. This change paid tribute to Simon Diedong Dombo, a key political figure from Ghana’s First Republic and a founding member of the United Party, a precursor to the current New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The original renamings were met with mixed reactions, with critics arguing that the institutions’ established identities and regional focus were being diluted for political reasons.
The move by the Mahama government signals a potential return to the universities’ original nomenclature and is likely to reignite debate over the legacy of past administrations and the naming of national assets. The upcoming draft legislation will be a key test for the governing coalition in parliament.
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