Ghana Sidelined, Board In Turmoil, And Staff Revolt Brewing
The Regional Maritime University (RMU) is sinking into its worst governance crisis in decades, as leaked internal messages and official documents expose a four‑year leadership vacuum, political interference, and a growing revolt among Ghanaian staff who say their own institution has been hijacked.
At the centre of the storm is the still‑vacant Vice Chancellorship a position Ghana has not held since 2021, despite hosting the university and providing the bulk of its staff, students, and infrastructure. Three separate interview panels under both NPP and NDC administrations scored Ghana’s candidate highest, including an 83% “smash‑through” performance in a last‑minute grilling in October 2025. Yet the appointment has been blocked repeatedly.
Sources describe a pattern of secret caucus meetings, sudden reversals, and a suspicious absence of Ghana’s Transport Minister and Deputy Minister at the decisive Sierra Leone Board meeting a vacuum that allowed foreign interests to push for a fresh advertisement of the role.
The fallout exploded internally last week when senior staff member Eric Burphy Duncan was slapped with a formal warning letter for failing to “defend the institution” during a heated WhatsApp exchange about the Board’s conduct. Management accused him of validating “derogatory remarks,” a move staff see as an attempt to silence growing frustration.
Behind the scenes, anger is boiling. Staff accuse unnamed officials and foreign representatives of deliberate sabotage, personal greed, and a coordinated agenda to keep Ghana out of leadership. One insider wrote: “Four years without a Ghanaian in management smacks of a conspiracy… morale is collapsing.”
With Ghana set to assume the rotating Board Chairmanship in June 2026, the stakes could not be higher. RMU once a symbol of regional cooperation now stands at a crossroads, battered by mistrust, political manoeuvring, and a leadership crisis that refuses to end.