Video: Click here to watch Patrick Awuah's acceptance speech.

  Video: Click here to view a short video about Ashesi University, the 2009 winner of the McNulty Prize.

Ashesi University
Accra, Ghana

Patrick Awuah
Africa Leadership Initiative

A transformed Africa begins with a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders. Patrick Awuah founded Ashesi University in 2002 with a bold mission: to create a new kind of university, one that focuses on quality, ethics and personal empowerment. Ashesi University aims to be the spark of a revitalized Africa; a catalyst for new enterprises, new solutions and a model for other universities in Africa.

  Video: Click here to view Ashesi University’s video submission.

Ashesi University offers a 4-year undergraduate liberal arts education with a focus on business, technology and leadership. The rigorous liberal arts education promotes critical thinking skills that give students the confidence to tackle complex problems and make positive contributions in any setting. Ashesi students participate in a required four-year leadership seminar series, which challenges them to discuss issues critical to building a better society. Students identify ways they can be of service in selected communities and volunteer their time, knowledge and skills. Examples of Ashesi student projects include: teaching basic business skills to former child soldiers from Liberia, volunteering at orphanages and working with NGO’s to provide women micro-financing to support their businesses.

The university currently enrolls 424 students, 46% are women and close to 40% of the student body receives financial aid. The Ashesi experience is made rich and varied, with curious students from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds from across 14 different African countries.

Ashesi has graduated 173 students to date and nearly 100% of Ashesi alumni have found quality employment within months of graduating. Africa’s top firms value their problem-solving skills, work ethic and ethical behavior.  While some are starting their own businesses and others are helping existing businesses to succeed; each is helping to revitalize the local economy.

Ashesi’s goal is to broaden their impact within Africa by growing to 2,000 students while maintaining their selective standards, small class sizes, and world-class academic quality. The university has recently broken ground on a new campus outside of Accra, where students of diverse backgrounds can live and study together.

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