Public universities are back in business. The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) has suspended its nationwide strike, and its members are returning to work today, Monday, October 19, 2026, according to reports by Graphic Online, MyJoyOnline and GhanaWeb.
The University of Ghana has also confirmed that it reopens today, following weeks of disruption caused by the strike.
GAUA's National Executive Committee met in Accra on Friday, October 16, and decided unanimously to suspend the strike, Graphic Online reports.
"After we had done a thorough evaluation, we came to the consensus that about 80% of our grievances have been met," said GAUA National President Rev. Kwaku Karikari Amoah, according to the report. "GAUA has suspended its strike action, and we are going back to the offices," he added.
He credited the Education Minister with facilitating the talks. "As the minister just said, we brought our grievances to him for redress, and he has so far helped us," Amoah said. The association said its final engagement with the Ministry of Education included firm assurances that all its concerns would be addressed.
According to Graphic Online and GhanaWeb, GAUA says it will keep pressing the government on several remaining issues:
The reports did not include specific amounts or deadlines for the government's commitments.
According to MyJoyOnline, the University of Ghana's Business and Executive Committee approved the reopening at a meeting on October 16, in a notice signed by Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Gordon A. Awandare. The timetable is:
Students are required to pay their fees and complete academic registration online through the university's student portals.
The strike centred on disparities in market premiums and related allowances between senior teaching staff and senior administrative staff in public universities. The action, which first began in August, disrupted admissions, registration and the allocation of accommodation, forcing several universities, including the University of Ghana and KNUST, to postpone their reopening.
Last week, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu directed the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to ask universities to prepare to reopen, saying the government would "do everything possible to preserve the calendar", as Talk Talk reported. The minister was optimistic at the time that GAUA would call off the strike within days.
For thousands of fresh and continuing students, the suspension ends weeks of uncertainty. Families can now finalise travel, accommodation and fee payments, and first-year students can begin the orientation programmes that introduce them to university life.
Other public universities are expected to announce or confirm their own reopening dates now that administrators are back at work.
The strike affected administrative work at public universities across the country, including the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the University of Cape Coast and others. Earlier this term, Talk Talk reported that registration of first-year students at the University of Cape Coast had been halted because of the action. Students at those institutions are advised to follow official announcements from their universities on reopening, registration and accommodation, and to be wary of fake notices circulating online.
Because GAUA has suspended rather than called off its action, the outcome of further talks on the outstanding issues will be key. If the remaining concerns are not resolved, the association could resume the strike, as it did after an earlier suspension this year.
