Accra, Ghana November 9, 2026:The Network of Women in Broadcasting (NOWIB) calls for a fair, independent and open investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment and assault made by students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) against the school's headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai. NOWIB also asks for a clear public account of how earlier complaints were handled.
Mr Abdulai denies the allegations, and none of them has been tested in court. NOWIB's position rests on two points. Students who report abuse must be protected, and anyone who is accused is entitled to due process.
“Students reported what was happening to them, and adults they trusted were told. Our first question is what was done with those reports, and by whom. Our second is whether the students are safe today. We can ask both without declaring anyone guilty. A fair process protects the accused and the complainants alike, and it only works if it is independent, open and quick.”
Bridget Mensah, General Secretary, NOWIB
What has happened so far
This account draws on published reports and the petitions they cite.
• November 2025 to July 2026. Students' complaints, as reported, cover incidents in this period. The allegations have not been proven.
• 4 February 2026. The school's Safe Space Focal Person and Girl Child Coordinator, with a colleague, wrote to school management asking for a confidential, impartial investigation and protection for students against retaliation.
• 20 March 2026. The Safe Space Focal Person wrote to the Obuasi West municipal education office with similar requests. The Municipal Director of Education later told JoyNews that five girls had come to his office, three of them with written complaints, and that illness delayed action.
• 27 July 2026. The Obuasi SHTS Old Students Association and a group of parents submitted separate petitions asking for an independent investigation and protection for students. The parents also asked that the headmaster step aside while investigators worked, and gave authorities until 10 August to act.
• 4 and 5 August 2026. A student filed a complaint with the police, who say the headmaster was arrested over that complaint and granted bail. On 5 August, unrest broke out at the school. The headmaster was injured in an attack and six students were arrested. NOWIB condemns violence of any kind.
• 13 and 14 October 2026. Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu ordered the headmaster's suspension and asked the Criminal Investigations Department to investigate. The Ghana Education Service (GES) interdicted him the next day.
• 15 to 19 October 2026. JoyNews reported that complaints had reached officials months before the suspension. Reports said 19 female students had come forward, and a JoyNews documentary aired on 19 October.
• 20 to 22 October 2026. GES directed the Ashanti Regional Director of Education and the Obuasi municipal directors to step aside. The headmaster withdrew from a constituency race in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which had briefly cleared him to contest. The party's General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, has since said the party should have waited to see the evidence.
• Late October. Police sent the docket on one complaint to the Attorney-General for advice. A team from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection visited Obuasi. ActionAid Ghana petitioned the Education Minister on 23 October, and Amnesty International Ghana called for a prompt, independent and survivor-centred investigation.
Who has signed and spoken
Several groups have put their names to formal demands. NOWIB sets them out so that the public record is accurate.
• Obuasi SHTS Old Students Association. Its 27 July petition was signed on behalf of the association by Chris Baffour Gyasi (Vice-President, Asikafo Board of Trustees), Dr Robert Gardiner, Bishop George Kingsley Amoako, Professor Dr Kwame Buabeng, Frank Adomako and Godwin Kwabena Egyire.
• Parents of affected students. Published reports do not name the individual parents. NOWIB will not name them, or any student.
• Civil society. ActionAid Ghana and Amnesty International Ghana have issued public demands, linked above.
• Women in broadcasting. The following women signed the Female Voices in the Media statement in support of this call.
NOWIB's recommendations
NOWIB asks that each of the following be carried out without regard to anyone's position or party.
1.Due process for everyone. Keep the headmaster's interdiction in place while investigators work. It is an interim measure and not a finding of guilt. He should have no access to students or the school during that time, and he must have the chance to respond to every allegation.
2. An independent and timely investigation. Complainants and their families should be told what happens next, as far as the law allows, instead of learning it from the news.
3. A review of how complaints were handled. An independent review should establish what school management and the municipal and regional education offices did with the complaints they received from February onwards. Anyone named should be heard before conclusions are drawn.
4.Protection from retaliation. Students, parents, teachers and safeguarding staff who raised concerns must be protected from intimidation, reprisal and loss of schooling. Any report of pressure on a complainant should be investigated.
5.Care and schooling for the students. Medical, psychosocial and legal support, with privacy protected, and no student losing her place in school because she spoke.
6.Safeguarding reform in every school. ActionAid Ghana cites a JoyNews Research review of at least 44 teachers and headteachers accused of sexually abusing students since 2015, with 12 reported convictions. Every school needs confidential reporting channels, protection for people who report, and an end to quiet transfers of accused staff.
7.No party politics in abuse cases. Allegations of sexual abuse should be handled the same way whatever the accused person's party or position. No political body should clear, shield or condemn anyone ahead of the evidence.
8.Responsible reporting. NOWIB members will protect the identities of students, avoid graphic detail, give the headmaster a right of reply and report outcomes as well as allegations. NOWIB urges all media houses and social media users to do the same.
NOWIB will keep following the case.
Issued by:
Bridget Mensah
General Secretary, Network of Women in Broadcasting (NOWIB)
Telephone: 0244906235 | Email: nowibghana@gmail.com
About NOWIB
The Network of Women in Broadcasting (NOWIB) is a professional association that brings together female broadcasters and media professionals across Ghana. It works to build the capacity and visibility of women in broadcasting, to promote gender-responsive media content and to advance women's leadership in media organisations.
