January 21, 2020
2019 was quite the year at Ashesi. From seeing significant campus expansion in opening our Research and Learning Building, the Sports and Student Centers to graduating our first Engineering class, 2019 brought many reasons to celebrate the end of the decade.
Here’s a recap of some of the stories and events that made us happy over the year. What were yours?
How scholarships at Ashesi unlock an unlikely door for Maxwell ‘18
Maxwell Aladago arrived at Ashesi University on a full scholarship with a very limited idea of how computers worked. Four years later, he was developing artificial intelligence algorithms for various applications, including the detection of malaria parasites in a blood smear. And now, as a Ph.D. candidate at Dartmouth College, he is hoping to help deepen artificial intelligence research for solving some of Africa’s toughest challenges. Here’s his story.
Celebrating Professor Stephen Adei’s legacy of Scholarship Leadership and Citizenship
Pleasant chorals graced the Norton-Motulsky hall as staff and faculty members of the Ashesi community, and other guests filed in for the celebration of Stephen Adei’s title of Emeritus Professor.
Having served as a Professor, and Dean of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences since 2015, Professor Stephen Adei retired from Ashesi in 2018. However, his relationship with the university spans some 20 years.
Bridging the gap for student entrepreneurs: The Ashesi Enterprise Fund
A few months after launching his men’s clothing business, Tailored Hands, final year student Ezekiel Hormeku ’19 hit a bump that many start-ups encounter — funding to grow and expand their business idea.
With orders coming in faster than they could serve, Tailored Hands had to expand their equipment, team and production base to cater to their growing clientele. And so Ezekiel turned to an initiative at Ashesi aimed at helping student entrepreneurs solve this exact problem — the Ashesi Enterprise Fund (AEF).
17 Years of Ashesi University
Since 4th March 2002, when Ashesi opened its doors to a pioneer class of 30 students in a single rented building in Labone, the university has seen steady growth. Today, Ashesi’s permanent campus, located on a 100-acre campus in Berekuso, is home to some 1000+ students from across Africa, with alumni doing great work in the world.
Ashesi and Arizona State University partner to provide accelerated Master’s Degree for students
Ashesi University and Arizona State University (ASU) have signed a new partnership that deepens efforts from both universities to strengthen education outcomes in Africa. Under the new partnership, Engineering and Computer Science students from Ashesi will have the opportunity to pursue a 5-year accelerated academic program that grants them a Bachelor’s Degree from Ashesi and a Master’s Degree from ASU.
Friendly games mark the opening of Ashesi’s new sports center
To mark the opening of Ashesi’s new sports center, the Ashesi Student Council held a series of games and activities on campus this past weekend. The tournament featured games between Ashesi’s men’s football team and the Multimedia Group men’s football team and Ashesi’s women’s team versus the Nimobi Warriors (a combined women’s team from Nima and Mamobi).
Alum’s Virtual Reality startup gains $98,000 boost from UNICEF Innovation Fund
When Kabiru Seidu ’14 first discovered Virtual Reality (VR) some four years ago, he was instantly hooked and dived headfirst into research into the technology.
Ashesi President appointed to UNESCO’s ‘Futures of Education’ commission.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has named Ashesi’s President, Patrick Awuah, to a new 16-member commission that will be focusing on the future of global education. The International Commission was announced as part of UNESCO’s Futures of Education initiative, launched at the UN’s General Assembly in New York, on 25th September.
Engineering community and research strengthen problem-solving across campus
When Ghana announced intentions to establish a partnership with a U.S drone delivery service, aimed at health supplies, it generated a lot of skepticism across the country. But on campus, Engineering student Robert Boateng-Duah considered it an exciting opportunity.
With the first cohort of Engineering graduates, Ashesi’s class of 2019 celebrates milestone commencement
It was the largest commencement ceremony Ashesi has ever hosted and was a fitting tribute to the Class that brought the pioneering cohort of Engineering students. And for the first time in a long time, the rains held back and gave way to sunny blue skies as the ceremony went on.
From the Korle Bu Blood Bank to American Express, this Ashesi Alumna’s software work is touching millions of people
When Maureen Biney ‘12’s brother took ill years ago, their trip to the hospital revealed a lot more than just a diagnosis. To pull up his records, the nurses had to comb through pages of notebooks, a highly inefficient process. And even though in her brother’s case there was no severe consequence, Maureen would later learn that it was often worse for thousands of patients and families across Ghana.
Ashesi Lecturer Sena Agyepong is helping build a model of job creation in Ghana’s rural areas
Over a 100 youth from two rural areas in Ghana’s cocoa belt, completed an Ashesi-led entrepreneurship boot camp as part of the Next Generation Cocoa Youth Program. The participants, from Bia West and Asunafo North, form the fourth and fifth cohorts of the program. Launched in 2016, the MASO program is targeted at helping young people in rural cocoa-growing communities find employment opportunities within the cocoa value chain.
Ashesi, University of Cape Town and five others represent Africa at the inaugural meeting of university alliance
A pioneer group of universities from the G7 Countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US) and beyond have formed a first of its kind university partnership called the U7+ Alliance. The Alliance held its first meeting at Sciences Po in Paris, and Ashesi University was among 10 leading universities from outside the G7 invited to join the partnership, representing Ghana at the convening.
Twelve selected as inaugural fellows for Ashesi Venture Incubator
Twelve Ashesi alumni have been selected as inaugural fellows for Ashesi’s new entrepreneurship support program, the Ashesi Venture Incubator. The Venture Incubator is a one-year incubation experience for recent graduates and alumni of the university. Over the course of one year, fellows are provided with the opportunity to build their business; and refine their business models through the incubator’s provision of business coaching from local and global business leaders, business development sessions, support services, and financial stipends.
The twelve are David Boanuh ’19, Dzifa Anagblah ’19, Emmanuel Asaam ’14, Kelvin Degbotse ’19, Kevin Blanson ’19, Ezekiel Hormeku ’19, Grace Amponsah ’17, Comfort Appiah ’19, Audrey S-Darko ’19, Derick Omari ’18, Jenipher Panashe ’19 and Nature Akoto ‘17.
Pioneer Archer Cornfield Fellows join Engineering and Computer Science Faculty on campus
For the 2019/2020 academic year, the Ashesi community welcomed Stewart Isaacs and Abdul Wasay to campus as our pioneer Archer Cornfield Fellows. The Fellows, Doctoral students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, will support teaching and research work in our Engineering and Computer Science faculties while also contributing their experiences to our broader community.
Ashesi Alumnus, Barima Osei-Bonsu ’16, reflects on responsibility of leading and growing a family business’ success
When Barima Osei-Bonsu ’16 was in basic school, his daily ride home with his mother had one routine pit-stop: the aluminium factory in Accra which she had started. He would observe over time, how his mother singlehandedly grew her small company into a leading manufacturing firm in Ghana.
Research at Ashesi gets a boost with a new pathway for applied learning
This year, the Office of the Provost at Ashesi has introduced a series of new initiatives across campus to support and encourage research and innovation. The Professor Stephen Adei Studio for Research Excellence, located in Ashesi’s Research and Learning Building, was established to oversee these initiatives. Initiatives include the Archer-Cornfield Fellowship for post-doctoral students to support research and teaching in Engineering and Computer Science; increased support for faculty professional development and research capacity expansion; as well as deepened efforts to grow institutional ties focused on research. The Creative and Research Internship is one of these initiatives and received initial funding support from Founder and Principal of Botho Emerging Markets Group, Isaac Fukuo.
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