BTU Dismisses VC Prof. Samuel Erasmus Alnaa Over Alleged GH¢19.5m Procurement Scandal

Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU) is at the centre of one of the biggest governance crises in Ghana’s tertiary education sector after its Governing Council terminated the appointment of Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Erasmus Alnaa, over alleged procurement and financial irregularities involving a GH¢27.97 million GETFund contract. The Council claims the procurement breaches resulted in an estimated financial loss of more than GH¢19.5 million to the University and the State.

The decision, which took effect on June 11, 2026, followed months of investigations by a Special Investigation Committee established by the Governing Council to examine allegations surrounding a furniture procurement contract awarded in April 2024 and the disposal of hundreds of university assets.

According to the Council, its investigations concluded that Prof. Alnaa approved the award of a GH¢27.97 million contract to M-Business Services Limited without obtaining the mandatory approval of the Central Tender Review Board, despite the value of the contract exceeding the legal procurement threshold.

The Council also alleged that the former Vice-Chancellor misrepresented information to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) to secure approval for a single-source procurement process by claiming the company had previously supplied the University.

Further findings reportedly indicate that some of the procured furniture was purchased at prices more than seven times the prevailing market rates, leading to an estimated financial loss exceeding GH¢19.5 million.

Another allegation concerns the disposal of 866 pieces of university furniture without the constitution of a Board of Survey or proper documentation identifying recipients, valuations or approvals, actions the Council believes breached the Public Financial Management Act.

Following these findings, the University referred the matter to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) and the Auditor-General for further investigations, possible surcharge proceedings and forensic financial examinations.

The Council also sanctioned three other senior officials. Director of Procurement Samuel Aduko and Director of Works and Physical Development Tom Mboya Asigri were demoted and suspended for three months, while Acting Director of Finance Solomon Awariya received a warning letter.

Prof. Alnaa has, however, challenged his dismissal in court.

The controversy has since widened beyond BTU. The Vice-Chancellors of Technical Universities of Ghana (VCTU-G) have suspended BTU from all Association activities, expressing concern over the University’s governance crisis and accusing the Governing Council of disregarding directives from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), which had earlier questioned attempts to remove the Vice-Chancellor.

VCTU-G believes the prolonged dispute threatens established principles of university governance and says the suspension is intended to create room for dialogue, restore confidence and protect the integrity of Ghana’s technical university system.

Before his dismissal, Prof. Samuel Erasmus Alnaa was one of Ghana’s experienced technical university administrators. An economist by profession, he previously served as Head of the Department of Accountancy, Vice Rector, Acting Rector and Rector before becoming Vice-Chancellor. His academic work focused on economics, finance, poverty, food security, public administration and waste management.

With legal proceedings now underway and multiple state institutions investigating the allegations, the final outcome of the BTU case is expected to shape future discussions on governance, procurement accountability and leadership within Ghana’s public universities.