Update on Gandhi Statue Controversy at the University of Ghana

A petition for the removal of a Gandhi statue on the University of Ghana campus had garnered an amazing 1911 signatures as of September 21, 2016, the date it was delivered to the Council of the University of Ghana. In a letter of response by Council to the petitioners dated December 19, 2016, Council supported the decision to remove the statue of Gandhi. The petitioners responded, requesting a clear date by which the statue will be removed, yet a (hopefully temporary) kink has appeared. Ghanaian law states that all public boards and committees are set up by the president of Ghana. Following a challenge in court in 2008, it has been interpreted to mean that each new president must compose all public boards and committees. Thus, with the change of president on December 7, 2016, the understanding is that the new president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has to reconstitute all boards and committees. In the case of the University of Ghana Council, the petitioners learned that the chairman has resigned in anticipation that president Akufo-Addo will appoint a new chairman. This means that even though many members will remain in Council, Council cannot meet until a new chairperson (and other government representatives perhaps) have been appointed.  Thus we must wait and see if the new Council will honour the decision taken by the former Council. See a copy of the Council’s letter.