A High Court threw out an injunction by 72 students worried about whose name goes on their degree certificates, allowing the university’s 23rd Congregation to go ahead.
The African University of Communications and Business (AUCB) held its 23rd Congregation on Saturday, October 31, 2026, after the High Court dismissed an attempt by 72 undergraduate students to stop the ceremony.
The students had filed an ex parte injunction application — a request for an urgent court order made without the other side being present — on October 26, 2026. It was registered as Suit No. GJ/0083/2027, with Asare Solomon Kojo listed alongside 71 others against the university.
An official court search carried out on October 30, 2026 by LawPlus – Attorneys At Law showed the outcome recorded at the court registry as "NOT GRANTED, DISMISSED". That finding was reported by Daily Guide Network.
With the legal hurdle removed, the university proceeded with the event the next day.
What the dispute is about
The quarrel is not about marks or fees. It is about whose name appears on the certificate.
AUCB was previously affiliated to the University of Ghana (UG), meaning UG validated its degrees. The institution has since been granted a Presidential Charter, which makes it a fully autonomous university able to award its own degrees.
During the transition, undergraduate students were given a choice: take a degree certified by AUCB, or take one certified by the University of Ghana.
A total of 206 students chose AUCB certification. The remaining 72 — 40 women and 32 men — opted for UG certification.
Those 72 students were not satisfied with the assurances management gave them about how their preferred certification would be handled. They then went to court to try to halt the congregation altogether.
The court's dismissal of the application cleared the immediate obstacle to the ceremony. It does not, on the facts available, settle the underlying certification question.
A landmark ceremony
The congregation was the first time AUCB conferred degrees under its own authority rather than through an affiliation.
In all, 350 graduands received certificates — 206 undergraduates and 144 postgraduate students.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Isaac Abeku Blankson described the occasion as a landmark moment for the institution, saying the Charter was the result of years of institutional building.
He added that full autonomy opens a new phase for the university and places a heavier duty on management to protect academic standards and strengthen internal systems.
Why this matters for Ghanaians abroad
For graduates in the United States and elsewhere, the name on a degree certificate carries real weight. Employers and credential evaluation bodies often check the awarding institution and its accreditation status.
That helps explain why a group of students would go to court over certification rather than simply accept a new awarding body. A Presidential Charter confirms an institution's authority to award its own degrees in Ghana, but newly chartered universities are less familiar to foreign evaluators than long-established ones such as the University of Ghana.
What happens next for the 72 students — and whether they pursue further legal action — is not yet clear.
