Is NDC’s Tanko-Computer’s PhD fake? Here’s everything you need to know | Nsemkeka
A massive row erupted over whether a top NDC official is using a fake PhD title, with serious questions being raised about his academic credentials and calls for him to be sacked from his government job.
Dr Rashid Tanko-Computer, who serves as both CEO of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) and Deputy Director of Elections and IT for the ruling National Democratic Congress, has found himself at the centre of a growing scandal over his supposed doctorate degree.
The controversy centres around his PhD in Public Administration, which he claims to have earned from Kingsnow University in the United States in 2016. But serious doubts have emerged about whether this qualification is genuine.
The pressure reached a new level when a private citizen named Odeneho Kwaku Takyi, known locally as Sir Obama, formally petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to remove Tanko-Computer from his GIFEC role.
In his petition sent to the Jubilee House on Thursday, June 12, 2025, the petitioner made explosive allegations. He claimed that:
Mr Sofo Tanko Rashid Computer holds a fraudulent PhD in Public Administration purportedly obtained in 2016 from an unaccredited Kingsnow University in the United States of America.
The petition went further, stating:
This grave situation does not only represent a significant breach of public trust and a scandalous act of academic fraud but also directly contravenes the fundamental principles enshrined in the 1992 Constitution and Code of Conduct 2025 for public officials.
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According to the petitioner’s investigations, Kingsnow University “neither exists in the United States nor any other part of the globe” and was “conspicuously absent from all authoritative databases of recognised and accredited universities in the United States, including those maintained by the US Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.”
Ghana’s Education Watchdog Steps In
The petition also revealed that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) had already raised concerns. The petitioner referenced a letter supposedly written by GTEC to Tanko-Computer, asking him to stop using the ‘Dr’ title “after discovering the opaqueness of his PhD credentials.”
The petitioner accused Tanko-Computer of potential criminal offences, including:
Defrauding by false pretence by presenting a fake PhD to secure or maintain a high-ranking government position like CEO of GIFEC.
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Tanko-Computer Fights Back
When confronted about these allegations on JoyPrime’s Prime Morning Show on Wednesday, June 11, Tanko-Computer dismissed his critics and defended his qualifications. He said:
I am a lecturer, and I have taught students for a very long time. Matters like this, when you give them attention, I cannot respond to people like that. My students have never failed. I don’t give credibility to people like that.
He confirmed that he earned his PhD from Kingsnow University, describing it as an online institution where he enrolled in 2012 and completed his programme in 2016.
Dr. Tanko Computer responds to claims that his PhD is fake #PrimeMorning pic.twitter.com/UPv7zZBPKP
— Joy Prime (@JoyPrimeTV) June 11, 2025
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What Nsemkeka’s research revealed
Independent investigation into Kingsnow University uncovered disturbing findings. At the time of scrutiny, there was no active website or verifiable digital presence for the university.
Domain searches showed no records, suggesting the university’s website was either never properly registered or had been shut down.
However, archived versions of the Kingsnow University website first retrieved by ghcampus.com, showed it had previously claimed to offer certificates, academic degrees, and PhD programmes.
The university said it was accredited by two organisations: the Global Accreditation Board for Distance Education (GABDE) and the International Accreditation Association for Online Schools.
But both accrediting bodies proved questionable. GABDE isn’t recognised by key US oversight bodies like the Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
The International Accreditation Association for Online Schools has no verifiable existence and isn’t listed in any recognised directories.
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In a bizarre twist, on May 30, 2025, the Kingsnow University domain suddenly came back to life with a new website containing a shocking disclaimer.
The homepage now states:
Kingsnow University wishes to inform the public that our institution does not offer, has never offered, and is not authorized to confer Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in any field of study.
It adds:
Any individual claiming to hold a PhD degree from Kingsnow University is making a fraudulent claim.
This directly contradicts the archived website that clearly advertised PhD programmes. The timing of this disclaimer, appearing just as the controversy intensified, raises questions about whether the website was hastily created to discredit Tanko-Computer or provide him with an escape route.
The evidence suggests Tanko-Computer’s PhD credentials are highly questionable at best.
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It could also be that he was likely (with a huge DOUBT attached) a victim of an online academic scam, but then again, that also raises questions about whether any due diligence was conducted by him.