The college says he left after his contract expired and that no action was taken following revelations by this publication that his PhD was bogus.
QUEEN MOSARWE
Botswana Accountancy College (BAC) has confirmed the departure of Business and Leisure Department Senior Lecturer Dr. Andrew Anyona, even though they did not admit he left following The Botswana Gazette investigations which revealed he had a bogus PhD.
The college says his contract had expired. “Please be advised that Dr. Andrew Anyona’s contract expired on the 30th September 2016 and as such he is no longer a BAC employee,” BAC Head of Marketing and Communications Mpho Mokgosi stated. The Botswana Gazette story questioning his credentials came out on the 31 August -6 September 2016 issue, a few weeks before he left.
“We do confirm that BAC did ascertain that the requisite recruitment and screening procedures were carried out when employing Dr. Anyona, as such no further action was taken,” Mokgosi said, explaining that as part of Quality Assurance, BAC continuously engages employees to validate their qualifications by certification from issuing bodies. “This is an ongoing process that is done internally to ensure that the institution maintains the right competencies and skills deliver quality education for a good student learning experience for which we are renowned for,” she explained.
The two-month investigation carried by this publication together with INK Center for Investigative Journalism could not find evidence that Dr. Anyona earned a credible PhD from a recognized college or university despite him making such claims.
The North Ireland Institute of Business and Technology (NIIBT) where he said he graduated in 2012 turned out to be a shell company headquartered in 20 Adelaide Street BT2 8GD, Belfast, Ireland: The address itself belonged to a property company which offers temporary
“serviced or virtual offices with a prestigious Belfast address.”
Agencies from which the institute claims accreditation do not exist and is also not linked to major accrediting bodies. It also does not Malaysia and Gambia as claimed by its website.
Responding to enquires by this publication, Dr. Anyona confirmed being an alumnus of NIIBT, saying the institution was a privately funded private university. He also declined to supply a copy of his doctoral thesis, saying he was not obliged to make it public and directing further questions to Open Education Europa- a center hosting online educational resources which is actually not an accredited institution.
A Dr. Andrew Tang who this publication reached in Malaysia said NIIBT existed, without elaborating before hanging up. NIIBT itself did not respond to questions sent to them.
Following the publication of the story, the Kenyan born lecturer threatened The Botswana Gazette with a P1 million law suit, claiming the story had defamed him, with his lawyers Toteng and Company demanding an apology and retraction. They also attempted to validate the existance of NIIBT saying it was accredited in Austria among other places even though a South African fact checking organization, Africa Check, said it was an unrecognized “degree mill,” affirming this publication’s findings.