The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has revealed that the Cabinet has directed the restoration of the original names of all public universities that were renamed after individuals during the previous Akufo-Addo administration.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, the Bawku Central MP disclosed that a bill will soon be presented to Parliament to formalise the reversal of those changes.

“Mr. Speaker, there has been a Cabinet directive to change the names of all the universities that were renamed after individuals back to the original names they were given,” Mr. Ayariga stated.

“A bill will be brought to this House to change and reverse all the name changes of the universities,” he added.

During the Akufo-Addo administration, several public universities and polytechnics were renamed in honour of prominent national figures — a move that sparked mixed reactions across the country.

Among the affected institutions were:

University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) in Tarkwa, renamed the George Grant University of Mines and Technology;

Wa Campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS), renamed the Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies;

Navrongo Campus of UDS, renamed the C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences; and

Ho Technical University, renamed Ephraim Amu Technical University.

The renaming exercise was heavily criticised at the time by the then-opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which argued that the decision appeared politically selective, honouring figures aligned with a particular political tradition.

If implemented, the new directive will mark a significant policy reversal — one aimed at depoliticising the identities of Ghana’s public universities and restoring their institutional heritage.