………Council Chairperson and Vice-Chancellor receive a staggering $1,200 per night while traveling internationally, with the Pro Vice-Chancellor taking home $1,100: See USA payments (under $500) attached
By Fuvi Kloku
At Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU), a troubling financial reality is unfolding—one that raises serious concerns about fiscal responsibility and ethical governance. While dedicated employees struggle to make ends meet on salaries that barely surpass two thousand cedis a month, top officials travel the globe, enjoying allowances that far exceed reasonable limits.
According to internal documents, the Council Chairperson and Vice-Chancellor receive a staggering $1,200 per night while traveling internationally, with the Pro Vice-Chancellor taking home $1,100, and the Registrar and Finance Director pocketing $1,000 per night. But the indulgence does not end there. These officials also receive lodging, chauffeured transport, and a host of other perks—all compounding the already unjustified allowances they pocket. And this is not a one-time occurrence; continuous travel spanning weeks and months siphons millions of cedis from university funds annually.
Behind closed doors, a Council committee, handpicked by the Vice-Chancellor, drafted and approved further controversial expenditures, including an exorbitant housing allowance amounting to GHC 594,000 ($36,000) per year as of 2024. Other executives benefited from similar arrangements, with committee seats strategically assigned to ensure the approval of funds beyond ministerial limits. The financial maneuvering raises an urgent question: Who is watching over the interests of students, staff, and taxpayers?
Recent audits have shined a faint light on these transactions, yet much remains obscured from public scrutiny. Without a full forensic audit, crucial details risk being buried under bureaucratic red tape—allowing the government auditors’ shortcomings to shield a deeper web of mismanagement.
This situation demands a broader reflection on compensation disparities in government and institutional leadership. If university officials are granted unchecked access to lavish benefits, what are ministers, parliamentarians, and high-ranking officials receiving? The unfortunate truth is that in some cases, public officers’ personal chefs and housekeepers earn more than hardworking professionals on the government payroll. What justification exists for such glaring inequalities?
Even the United States, a global economic powerhouse, does not allocate more than $500 in per diem to its officials, and even then, it is strictly designated for travel-related expenses—not a blank check handed out simply for crossing borders. Attached is the June 2025 schedule of USA per diem rates for all appointees and elected officers—an unmistakable contrast to Ghana’s unchecked excesses.
Ghana must reassess its financial ethics if it hopes to embrace a truly transformative “reset” administration under President Mahama. The time for accountability is now. Leadership is not about personal gain—it is about service. The nation must demand transparency, equity, and fiscal responsibility before these unchecked excesses threaten the very foundation of public trust.
GCTU’s Approved Allowances
USA’s Approved Allowances
Source:Fuvi Kloku
