Legal scholar and governance advocate Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, widely known as Kwaku Azar, has reiterated his long-held view that public universities in Ghana should be named based on their geographical location, academic mission, or a combination of both, rather than after political figures.
In a strongly worded commentary, he described this approach as both principled and practical, arguing that it better reflects the national identity and public purpose of these institutions.
Kwaku Azar cited examples such as the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast, the University for Development Studies, and the University of Education, Winneba, as appropriate models.
According to him, these institutions derive their legitimacy from the public purse and must not be co-opted into political legacies.
He emphasized that public universities are national assets and must not carry names that reflect partisan interests or the personal ambitions of transient political leaders.
“I have no objection to universities naming internal facilities like buildings, roads, or lecture halls after individuals who have made meaningful contributions,” he clarified.
“But even then, there must be restraint. University Councils should respect the decisions of their predecessors to avoid confusion, branding disruptions, or alienation of benefactors.”
Kwaku Azar warned that the trend of renaming entire universities based on political whims risks institutional instability and erodes public trust.
While Parliament holds the constitutional power to rename public universities, he stressed that such power must be exercised with wisdom and sensitivity to heritage and national cohesion.
He reiterated that politicians, due to their inherently partisan nature, are the least appropriate figures to be honored in this way—especially when the institutions are meant to serve all Ghanaians.
“That is why I opposed the renaming of some of our public universities a few years ago. And it is why I will support any well-grounded effort to reverse those renamings,” he said.
This renewed statement comes against the backdrop of recent controversies over the renaming of public universities during the Akufo-Addo administration.
In 2019, the government initiated a series of renaming efforts, including the University for Development Studies (Wa campus), which became the Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies.
There were also proposals to rename the University of Energy and Natural Resources after Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia.
These moves drew criticism from civil society, academics, and segments of the public, who argued that they were politically motivated and compromised the institutional neutrality of higher education.
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