No Sexual Harassment – Legon VC Makes U-Turn

The Chief Executive Officer of Africa Integras, Andrea Pizziconi, has recanted claims of sexual harassment she had levelled against Prof. Ebenezer Oduro-Owusu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana.

According to her, the Vice Chancellor of Ghana’s premier university had never sexually harassed her.

Ms. Pizziconi who, appears to be singing a new song hours after her claims of sexual harassment, insists the Presbyterian Professor had rather implied the said ‘offence’ in one of their Council meetings, and blamed the twist on the media.

“I agree that you have never harassed me nor did I say as much…Surely, you are aware of the difference of headlines and the article’s substance, the latter of which accurately reflects my previous statement,” she said.

The businesswoman recalled that “of course, I requested that we meet alone to discuss the project at least once during the various stages with the two years we tried to help you remedy your willful default on the project.”

Ms. Pizziconi further claimed in another statement that “It seems that you may have thought that I wanted to meet you alone for the devilish reason that you suggested and that you implied that day in the council meeting with the former VC present rather than myself when you suggested that I use my womanly prowess, rather than my brain and unique expertise in the university development, to close this monumental project.”

Prof Owusu, who appears vindicated, has been fighting off the allegations of sexual harassment against him by Ms. Pizziconi.

According to him, Pizziconi is bitter because he put her contract with the country’s premier university on hold.

“You just have to treat this with the contempt that it deserves…personally, I will describe her as somebody who is bitter and extremely angry,” he said.

Prof Oduro-Owusu said Andrea was full of anger and could be frustrated because she intended to invest $64 million and make a return of $25 million every year from UG for the next 25 years.

However, the deal suffered a setback as it was put on hold.

In a tweet, Ms. Pizziconi alleged that the BBC Africa Eye’s ‘Sex for grade’ documentary, which implicated two lecturers of the University, for sexually harassing students resonated deeply with her.

She wrote that her company, Africa Integras, led a $64million infrastructure investment at UG which was defaulted upon by the current VC.

“He confidently declared as much publicly at a UG Council meeting in August 2017, suggesting the contract was invalid as it was signed under duress in a hotel room between his predecessor and myself.

Nothing could be further from the truth and in fact of all my dealing with UG and in Ghana, it was this VC who made me most uncomfortable when he repeatedly declined to work with me to save the project but instead said ‘I was far too pretty to worry my little head about the project’, while declaring, ‘turn around, everyone, I want to give her a proper hug’.

So, I know well what pressure such women are under to compromise their dignity at the University of Ghana,” she wrote, but Prof. Oduro Owusu vehemently denied her allegations.

According to him, he had worked hard to get to where was now and his accuser was only targeting his hard-earned reputation.

He said his meetings with her had only gotten to do with the university, stressing all their meetings had been at public places with the leadership of the university, and not his home or any hotel.