The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) has launched investigations into allegations of plagiarism leveled against the Head of the University’s Department of Banking and Finance.

This is in response to several news reports, especially on online platforms, accusing the Senior Lecturer of allegedly causing an article to be published under his name in the Daily Graphic newspaper, even though he didn’t author the piece.

“The attention of the university’s management has been drawn to these publications,” says the Pro-Vice Chancellor of UPSA, Prof. Charles Barnor. “In the spirit of fairness and natural justice, management needs to conduct a thorough investigation. That’s exactly what we are doing now. UPSA holds both faculty and students to a very high ethical code and does not compromise on academic integrity.”

Prof. Barnor says the outcome of the investigations will be made known to the public as soon as they are concluded.

“This is a very transparent investigation and the fact that many people have shown interest in it is yet another indication of the status of UPSA and the high regard most Ghanaians have for the university. We would like to make it clear that we take these allegations as seriously as our stakeholders do and when we are done with the investigations, we will make our findings and final decisions known to all.”

UPSA was recently named as one of the best three (3) universities in Ghana in the 2020 Global Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings assesses universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), balancing their scores across broad areas such as research, outreach and stewardship.