University of Ghana law lecturer Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua and the Economic Fighters League have backed student protesters against campus demonstration rules.

Published 10 Nov 2026, 07:28 GMT

3 min read

University of Ghana students protest hostel fee increases on the Legon campus — UG students protest on the Legon campus

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University of Ghana law lecturer Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua has called a rule requiring students to obtain the Dean of Student Affairs' approval before demonstrating "bad law", as the Economic Fighters League raises academic freedom concerns.

Monday's protest targeted a proposed 26 per cent residential fee hike at University of Ghana Enterprises Limited (UGEL) halls for 2026/2027, which management cut to 15 per cent for standard four-bed rooms on Sunday, November 8, while raising traditional hall fees by GH¢500 to GH¢3,500.

Prof Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, University of Ghana School of Law — Credit: University of Ghana School of Law

"UG's position asking students to apply and obtain approval from the Dean of Student Affairs before going on demonstration in or outside the campus is bad law and I applaud the concerned students for choosing to go to the police," he wrote.

He praised the Legon police for helping the march proceed peacefully. He said student unions had "remained dormant and inactive through capture, coercion, intimidation, infiltration and co-optation".

His criticism covered Students' Representative Councils (SRCs), the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and the Graduate Students' Association of Ghana (GRASAG).

UG students demonstrate over rising accommodation fees

The Economic Fighters League (EFL), through its Students Command, endorsed the protest by the Concerned Students of the University of Ghana. It also sought a review of the In-Out-Out-Out residential policy.

The EFL criticised UGSRC and GRASAG-UG for withholding support for the march, saying the two bodies had cited the organisers' registration status and the Public Order Act.

"A university should cultivate independent thinkers, not compliant subjects. It should encourage students to question power, not condition them to fear it," the EFL said, adding that "a university without student activism is not a university at its best."

Nasiba Abass, a graduate student and an organiser of the Save Our Universities movement, told GhanaWeb that university officials and state security personnel had approached organisers to dissuade them, delaying a protest first planned for October. "Students have been repressed from speaking out against these injustices," she said.

Management cited rising utility and maintenance costs in a statement signed by Public Affairs Director Dr Elizier Taiba Ameyaw-Buronyah. It also said fee talks with student leaders had reopened.

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UG demo rule is &#39;bad law&#39;, says law lecturer, as EFL raises academic freedom concerns

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UG demo rule is 'bad law', says law lecturer, as EFL raises academic freedom concerns