Don
15 August 2015
“Innovation isn’t just about new technology—it’s about bringing new perspectives and passion to solving the world’s most difficult problems.” – With major milestones achieved, Ashesi President, Patrick Awuah, reflects on a year of new beginnings at Ashesi.
I have never been more proud of the Ashesi community. In 2014, we achieved two significant milestones that will spread our impact, and made an important commitment.
First, thanks to generous donors, we completed our multi-year $6.12M fundraising campaign for the Ashesi Engineering Program. Launching in fall of 2015, this program will educate innovative, entrepreneurial engineers, committed to developing useful solutions for ordinary Africans. Among the generous partners profiled on page 12 are the outstanding engineering educators and corporate leaders from Ghana and around the world that helped us create our new approach to engineering education. I hope you will join us for our joyful engineering inauguration celebration, described on page 15.
(Click here to read the 2014 Ashesi Community Report)
Our second milestone was our selection by the World Bank to host West Africa’s first incubator for green businesses and climate innovation. Ashesi faculty, eager to participate in research on climate adaptation, and to drive entrepreneurship and job creation, partnered with a consortium to develop the winning proposal. The World Bank will provide multi-year operations funding; we are fundraising to build a permanent home for the center on our campus. See more on page 8.
Our new Engineering Program and the Climate Innovation Center will help spread Ashesi’s impact. Both are built on Ashesi’s educational model, honed since 2002, that fosters an empowering mix of critical thinking, in-depth skills, and ethical courage. I am humbled by the accomplishments of our 650 graduates and 631 students; this report profiles a few of them, and offers an inside look into a Leadership Seminar.
Innovation isn’t just about new technology—it’s about bringing new perspectives and passion to solving the world’s most difficult problems. That’s why, in September 2014, at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City, I made a commitment on behalf of Ashesi to have gender balance in our new engineering program. Gender balance is rare in the world of engineering education, but we believe it’s necessary to aim for inclusion. More importantly, we believe in making sure that future engineering solutions to Africa’s problems gain from the perspectives of women. To succeed, we will recruit bright women from across Africa and provide them with mentorship, role models and, when needed, scholarships.
Many of Ashesi’s women graduates have broken gender barriers and reached back to mentor others. One such graduate who empowers countless African women and girls, Yawa Hansen-Quao ‘06, is profiled on page 6.
With help from our friends, Ashesi achieved significant milestones and set ambitious goals. I hope the stories in this report inspire you to partner with us as we continue to prepare young Africans to create a better future for Africa.
– Patrick Awuah, Founder & President