Dela Goldheart (Amelia Amemate), a former University of Ghana student who on several occasions has accused Prof. Ransford Gyampo writes:
Also Read
I woke up to this letter from GIRL POWER, the ASSOCIATION OF FORMER FEMALE UG STUDENTS AND ALUMNI, demanding accountability from the University of Ghana on behalf of victims and survivors of sexual harassment and abuse at the hands of Prof. Ransford Gyampo.
Here is the full letter if you are interested in reading it. Our women and girls deserve more. Support us.
#GyampoMustGo #BelieveWomen
DATE 18th Nov. 2025
PETITION FOR THE IMMEDIATE SUSPENSION OF FUNDING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
TO:
The World Bank Group
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) European Union (EU) Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Wellcome Trust National Institutes of Health (NIH) & CDC Carnegie Corporation of New York Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chinese Ministry of Education (Hanban) DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) KAAD (Catholic Academic Exchange Service) Toyota Ghana
SUBJECT: DEMAND FOR THE CESSATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA PENDING THE REMOVAL OF PROFESSOR RANSFORD GYAMPO
1. PREAMBLE
We, the members of GIRL POWER, a collective of female alumni of the University of Ghana (UG), submit this formal petition to your esteemed organizations. As major financiers and development partners of the University of Ghana, you hold a distinct ethical responsibility to ensure that your funds do not facilitate an environment where sexual harassment, abuse of power, and the victimization of women are normalized.
We demand that your organizations invoke your safeguarding clauses to suspend all grants, endowments, and financial aid to the University of Ghana immediately. This suspension must remain in effect until the University administration permanently revokes the appointment and professorship of Prof. Ransford Gyampo of the Political Science Department.
His indictment in the BBC Africa Eye “Sex for Grades” exposé, coupled with the University’s failure to apply commensurate punitive measures, stands in direct violation of the global standards of safety, gender equity, and human rights that your organizations purport to uphold.
2. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
In 2019, the BBC Africa Eye documentary titled “Sex for Grades” exposed a systemic culture of sexual harassment at the University of Ghana. Prof. Ransford Gyampo was captured on video making numerous sexually suggestive comments to an undercover journalist posing as a student, and explicitly proposing marriage in exchange for academic mentorship a classic case of quid pro quo harassment and abuse of power.
Despite the video evidence and the subsequent suspension, Prof. Gyampo has been reinstated and promoted to the rank of full Professor. This action by the University sends a dangerous signal: that the sexual objectification of students is a surmountable career hurdle rather than a termination-worthy offense.
By retaining and promoting Prof. Gyampo, the University of Ghana has failed to protect its female student population, thereby creating a hostile learning environment. This failure makes the University non-compliant with the ethical codes of conduct required by international donors.
3. BREACH OF DONOR POLICIES AND ETHICAL GUIDELINES
Your continued funding of an institution that harbours and promotes individuals indicted for sexual impropriety constitutes a breach of your own internal policies. We have outlined below specifically how the retention of Prof. Gyampo violates the terms of engagement for each of your organizations.
A. Multilateral and Bilateral Development Agencies
1. The World Bank
Breached Policy: The Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) – Good Practice Note on Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH).
Violation: World Bank-financed projects require strict adherence to preventing Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Funding an institution that reinstates perpetrators of sexual harassment contradicts the Bank’s commitment to safe educational environments and creates a reputational risk for the Bank.
2. USAID (United States Agency for International Development)
Breached Policy: USAID Policy on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).
Violation: USAID maintains a zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse. The policy mandates that partners take appropriate action against employees who commit such acts.
The University’s reinstatement of Prof. Gyampo fails the “appropriate action” standard, rendering the institution ineligible for US taxpayer support.
3. European Union (EU)
Breached Policy: The EU Gender Action Plan III (GAP III) and Zero Tolerance Policy on SEAH.
Violation: The EU strictly conditions funding on the promotion of gender equality and the safety of women. Supporting a university department led or staffed by individuals exposed for predatory behavior directly undermines the EU’s strategic engagement on gender equity.
4. JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)
Breached Policy: JICA Guidelines for Environmental and Social Considerations.
Violation: JICA emphasizes respect for human rights and the prohibition of discrimination and abuse. The retention of the accused creates a discriminatory environment for female students, violating JICA’s social compliance standards.
B. Global Health and Research Bodies
5. National Institutes of Health (NIH) & CDC
Breached Policy: NOT-OD-19-056: Guidance on Reporting Sexual Harassment.
Violation: The NIH explicitly states that it does not tolerate sexual harassment in NIH-funded research settings. Institutions are required to foster a safe environment. By failing to remove a senior faculty member indicted for harassment, UG is in violation of the assurance of a safe work environment required for federal grant eligibility.
6. Wellcome Trust
Breached Policy: Wellcome’s Policy on Bullying and Harassment.
Violation: Wellcome sanctions institutions that fail to handle harassment allegations robustly. They explicitly state that they may withhold funding if an institution’s response to harassment is inadequate. UG’s promotion of Gyampo is demonstrably inadequate.
7. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Breached Policy: Global Access and Ethics Policy.
Violation: The Foundation requires grantees to adhere to the highest ethical standards. Funding an institution that protects alleged predators contradicts the Foundation’s core mission of empowering women and girls globally.
C. Philanthropic and Academic Foundations
8. Carnegie Corporation of New York & Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Breached Policy: Grantee Code of Conduct and Institutional Integrity clauses.
Violation: Both foundations focus heavily on the humanities and the strengthening of African universities. However, their support is predicated on institutional integrity. A university leadership that prioritizes the career of a compromised professor over the safety of students lacks the integrity required for Carnegie and Mellon support.
D. Cultural and Corporate Partners
9. DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) & KAAD
Breached Policy: Compliance with the German General Act on Equal Treatment (AGG) and Academic Ethics.
Violation: German funding is tied to strict adherence to academic ethics, which forbids the abuse of supervisory power. Prof. Gyampo’s conduct, as captured on tape, represents a gross abuse of the supervisor-student hierarchy.
10. Toyota Ghana
Breached Policy: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Ethics Guidelines.
Violation: As a corporate entity committed to ethical business, associating the Toyota brand with an institution that fails to act on sexual harassment allegations poses a significant PR risk and contradicts corporate values of respect and dignity.
4. OUR DEMAND
In light of the above, GIRL POWER demands that:
1. Immediate Warning: You issue an immediate joint or individual ultimatum to the Vice-Chancellor and Council of the University of Ghana.
2. Funding Freeze: You freeze all current and future disbursements of funds, grants, and scholarships to the University of Ghana
3. Condition for Restoration: You state explicitly that funding will only resume upon the termination of Prof. Ransford Gyampo’s appointment and the revocation of his professorial status, sending a clear message that sexual harassment will not be subsidized by international donors.
5. CONCLUSION
The “Sex for Grades” documentary was not merely a news item; it was a cry for help from the silent victims of academic predators. By continuing to finance the University of Ghana while Prof. Gyampo remains in post, you are inadvertently funding the very power structures that oppress female students.
We urge you to stand on the right side of history, uphold your own policies, and protect the dignity of the Ghanaian woman.
SIGNED
The Executive Council
GIRL POWER
(Association of Former Female UG Students/Alumni)
CC:
The Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana The Minister of Education, Republic of Ghana The Chair, University of Ghana Council
Media Houses
