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News from 2006
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First female student government
President: Yawa Osebreh
December,
2006
 On
December 15th, 2006 Ms. Yawa Osebreh became the first female President of
the Ashesi Student Council (ASC), and the first lady president
of a university student government in
Ghana's history. In her own words,
“The role of the Ashesi Student Council is to instill the principles of
scholarship, leadership and citizenship in all members of the
Ashesi Community. We are a community of men and women with a
passion to change Africa in our own small ways. The knowledge
that we are the creator of our own worlds is our guiding
principle.”
Yawa joined the Ashesi community because of its vision.
Born and raised in a foreign land, Yawa describes herself before
Ashesi as a “woman who was without a country.” “I lived with a
void for many years knowing I came from a place worth
remembering yet had just an idea of this mystery called “Africa.”
Ashesi provided me with answers. Ashesi has given me an
education that greatly challenged the assumptions I held as an
African growing up in America. Today, I know exactly what I need
to do to fill that void.”
During her
secondary school years Yawa was the recipient of several awards
for proficiency, sportsmanship and club management. At Ashesi,
she has been on the Dean’s list and won a scholarship to study
abroad in Rome. Yawa’s achievement as the first female President
of a student government group affirms she is a trailblazer in
student governance in Ghana.
Ashesi career fair attracts top companies in Ghana
November,
2006
 Ashesi
University held its first ever Career Fair on Saturday 4th
November at their campus on 2nd Norla,
Labone. In attendance were Ecobank, Barclays, Newmont
Ghana, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, CDH
Insurance, Rancard Solutions, Land Tours, Nestlé,
Origin8 Saatchi & Saatchi, Explainer DC, Busy Internet,
Combert Impressions, Life Link, Alisa Hotel and Business
& Financial Times. The event was held courtesy of the
University’s Career Services Center.
“We at Ashesi
believe in giving our students ‘post university care’--it is our
way of bridging the gap between the corporate world and the
school environment," said the University’s Career Services
Director, Ms. Lebene Ledi. “Career Services is about enabling
our students to make a successful transition from school to
work,” Ms. Ledi said.
The presence
of these 16 companies was instrumental in assisting the
university to give students concrete tools to use in the
workplace by providing them with appropriate guidelines relevant
to their area of study. These guidelines were carefully outlined
in individual half hour Power Point presentations made by nine
of the participating companies. Topics discussed included the
recruitment process and manager trainee programmes. Company
representatives also had the chance to interact with students
and answer questions. Students were happy about openness of the
representatives.
 “Not
only did the career fair help me to understand the business
objectives and the aims of some of the biggest companies in
Ghana but it also provided me with key contacts in the business
world and an exciting day out,” says Kwabena Owusu-Adjei, a
freshman.
Company
representatives were equally happy with the interaction and
turnout of the students, as the venue was buzzing with over
ninety percent of the student population participating.
“The students
of Ashesi have an incredible edge over their friends in other
universities and this fair greatly attests to it,”
Rolland Djan Jr., the HR Manager of Ecobank.
Highlights of
the fair included appearances of Alumni from the previous
graduating class who were happy to share their working
experience with current students. Also featuring at the event
was a CV Clinic run by faculty members, Dr. Suzanne Buchele and
Janice Litchman. Several students took advantage of this and
came away from the sessions brandishing a revised CV that better
advertised their backgrounds and abilities, as well as
informative brochures on how to make this process easier in the
future.
By the end of
the day no one left empty handed. Students went home
knowing more about the background of participating companies and
how they could utilize their education to efficiently contribute
to the workforce. Each company left with a CV portfolio from the
graduating Class of 2006 and a better understanding of what to
expect from students that complete an Ashesi education.
“This has been
a mutual learning experience and a totally enlightening one. We
expect a lot from our friends here at Ashesi because they
understand what it takes to succeed,” said Comfort Ocran, of
Combert Impressions.
Faculty Profile: Dr. Andres Gramajo
November,
2006
 Dr
Andres M. Gramajo is a visiting lecturer at Ashesi University
who is teaching Economic Development and Macroeconomics. Andres
is from Guatemala and is in Africa for his second time. He
visited Botswana on a two-month research program in 2004.
Having been
to Botswana he knew what to expect in Ghana, but he states that
Ghana surprised him in two ways: it was hotter than expected and
the friendliness of the people was a culture shock to him. “I am
still recovering from this shock,” he says.
Dr. Gramajo
earned his undergraduate degree in Economics at Fransisco
Maroquin University in Guatemala. After graduation, he worked
as a credit analyst in a Guatemalan bank. He received his PhD in
Economics at George Mason University in Virginia, USA. During
his studies Dr. Gramajo conducted research on rural development
in the Dominican Republic and Colombia.
Dr. Gramajo
first heard about Ashesi while doing research in Colombia, where
in an internet café he read a National Public Radio article
about Ashesi. He thought: “it would be nice to be part
Patrick’s project.” He sees a lot of economic and social
potential in Ghana, “this is probably the country with most
potential in Sub-Saharan Africa, given its geographic position
and political stability,” he claims.
Dr. Gramajo’s
mission at Ashesi is to motivate students and create curiosity
about Africa’s problems using examples from other countries
around the world. Asked what he feels he has brought to Ashesi,
he replies, “knowledge of economics, education.” He plans to
share his experiences with the students at Ashesi and to show
them how others [outside Africa] see the world.
His
favourite past times include watching independent movies,
playing chess, running, reading, and hanging out with friends.
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