75 Organizations Engage Ashesi Talent at 20th Annual Career Fair

The 20th Ashesi annual career fair brought together 75 organizations from across sectors, including telecommunications, real estate, and finance. The event was supported by Gold Sponsors: Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Stanbic Bank Ghana Ltd, Tullow Ghana Ltd; Silver sponsors eServices Africa Limited, Graduate Guidance Group, Harlequin, and One Africa Markets Ltd; and Bronze sponsors CH Group, Chopbox Technologies Ltd, InvestCorp Asset Management, Margins ID Group, and Nestlé Ghana Ltd. The two-day event created opportunities for students and alumni at different career stages to engage directly with employers.

At the opening ceremony, held under the theme “Employers as Partners in Leadership,” Ashesi University President Patrick Awuah underscored the importance of strong partnerships with industry.

“We understand that we need to partner with the organizations that will hire our graduates and those that will invest in the startups that our graduates build,” he said. “That is why, from day one, we have maintained a close partnership with corporate Ghana.”

Ahead of the in-person event, a virtual career fair was organized to extend access to employer interactions. This was complemented by a series of competitions designed to build practical skills and showcase student talent. In the elevator pitch competition, students presented themselves to prospective employers in 60 seconds, while the CV competition, targeted at the Class of 2026, recognized students whose profiles demonstrated both depth and breadth of achievement.

A programing competition also challenged participants to develop code-based solutions to problems, alongside an engineering competition. The Most Enterprising Business Pitch Competition required students to pitch their enterprises in 3–5 minutes for possible funding and partnership opportunities.

A leadership dialogue held alongside the fair explored the theme “Leading Multiple Generations in the Workplace,” addressing issues such as emotional maturity in leadership, evolving interpretations of professionalism, and fostering mutual respect across generational groups.

Throughout the event, employers engaged students at designated booths, with several conducting on-the-spot interviews and recruitment conversations.

“Getting to sit through interviews from Newmont Corporation, Obengs, Telecel, and others was a real learning experience,” shared Natalie Adu-Gyamfi ’29. “My LinkedIn network is growing, and I was able to put my CV out there ahead of the long break.”

 Abigail Welbeck, Director for Career Services also shared: “Conversations with some students revealed that many gained clarity about their career interests.” She added: “Others also built their confidence from the engagement with employers, while getting insights into what is required in the workplace.” 

Virgin Music, Ashesi University Launch Internship Program to Grow African Music Business Talent

When Barbara Debre ‘16 graduated from Ashesi, she carried the Ashesi community with her. Today, as Operations Manager at Virgin Music Nigeria and the company’s Ghana lead, she is helping open doors into the music industry for students who came after her.

Through the strength of her work and her engagement with the Career Services team, Virgin Music Nigeria has made its New Gen Internship Program available to Ashesi students. The 12-week placement gives students direct exposure to how the music business operates, from strategy and distribution to artist development and commercial partnerships.

The first two interns to take up the opportunity are Kekeli Biga, an Economics major, and Maureen Allandi, a Mechanical Engineering major. Their placements highlight how Ashesi’s multidisciplinary curriculum equips students with valuable skills for any industry, including one as fast-paced as music.

The program begins with six weeks of departmental rotation, during which interns gain a working understanding of the organization’s functions. The second six-week shift shifts to specialization, where interns contribute to targeted projects in a chosen department alongside industry professionals.

“The African music industry is evolving quickly to become one of the continent’s most significant cultural and economic exports,” said Kay Ikazoboh, Managing Director of Virgin Music Nigeria. “As the industry expands, it is important to intentionally invest in developing young talent who will help drive it forward. The goal is to give them real exposure to how the music business operates while building a talent pipeline for the sustained growth of Africa’s music economy.

For Najeeb Ibrahim, Assistant Director for Career Services, the internship reflects a broader shift in how students are thinking about their careers. “Africa’s creative and digital industries are growing, and our students are growing with them,” he said. “This opportunity gives them a chance to explore new professional terrain, build their networks, and see firsthand how a global music company operates on the continent.”

Building a Smarter Household Biogas System for Reliable Energy Production

What really happens inside a biogas digester, and how can operators detect problems before gas production drops? 

In recent years, small household biogas systems have become more popular across Africa, with more people investing in and using them. These systems convert everyday waste, such as food scraps and animal manure, into clean energy for cooking while helping households manage waste more effectively. Despite this, many biogas plants struggle to perform well throughout their intended lifespans. One common problem is when the conditions inside the system become unstable—something known as a “digester upset.” When this happens, the tiny organisms that produce methane gas are affected. Because these microbes are very sensitive, even small changes can reduce gas production or stop it altogether. 

To address this challenge, researchers from Ashesi University, Heather R. Beem, Francis Aweenagua, Francis A. Gatsi, Jeremiah Takyi, and Myron N. V. Williams from Clark Atlanta University developed a relatively low-cost smart biogas digester. The system uses Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to continuously monitor conditions inside the digester. By providing real-time insights, operators can detect early signs of upset digestion and take action before performance declines. 

Earlier studies to monitor biogas systems focused mainly on how much gas was produced, or used just one sensor to check things like temperature and acidity. This assumed that everything inside the system was the same throughout. In reality, that is rarely the case. The smart biogas digester addresses this gap by capturing data from multiple locations, providing a clearer picture of the biological and chemical processes occurring within. 

The system has two main parts: a monitoring device and a web-based application platform. The monitoring device links the digester and uses sensors to collect environmental data. The web application stores this data on a cloud server and provides a customized interface to allow users to view and manage system information. 

The digester is built from an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) tank and has three outlets to make it easier to use and maintain. The bottom outlet is for removing sludge that builds up over time, the side outlet allows users to discharge liquid slurry daily, and the top outlet collects the biogas produced during digestion. The side outlet also helps keep the slurry at the right level so that the leftover material, known as digestate, doesn’t touch the infrared temperature sensor inside the digestor. The tank’s exterior is painted black to reduce light penetration and prevent algae from growing. 

The web application is a means for users to interact with the smart digester system. After creating a secure account, users can connect to their digester using a unique Device ID, giving them protected access to their system data. A visual dashboard shows both real-time and past performance, making it easy to track changes and make informed decisions. Users can also record when and how much waste they add to the digester and download both sensor and feeding records for further analysis.

Jessica S. Ali ’15: Building Pathways for the Next Generation of Leaders

“I am a product of people who shared their time, resources, and networks to open doors and create opportunities,” says Jessica Sugru Ali ’15. 

After Ashesi, Sugru Ali built experience across HR, business support management, strategy, and talent development. At Bank of America in London, she recruited and trained early-career professionals & supported regulatory change initiatives and when she moved to Morgan Stanley, she led strategic, people-focused transformation. These roles shaped her understanding of how organizations grow and how individuals thrive within them. 

Today, she is applying that insight to expand access to opportunities for people in Ghana and beyond. As Founder and Lead Consultant at Graduate Consult, she works with organizations to design structured pathways that connect early-career talent to the skills, systems, and networks needed to build meaningful careers.

“Mentorship is more than advice,” she explains. “It’s perspective, encouragement, and access. It helps people see their potential—and act on it.” 

She identifies three key challenges facing early-career talent: clarity on how to translate academic skills into workplace value, confidence in navigating professional environments, and access to networks and opportunities. 

Through structured programs—including one-on-one coaching and digital learning resources—she works to bridge these gaps, helping individuals move from simply having jobs to intentionally building careers. 

Her commitment to mentorship began long before Graduate Consult. As a student, she supported a participant in the Ashesi Junior Entrepreneurship Network, which is now the Ashesi Innovation Experience (AIX).  Through guidance, advocacy, and persistence, he gained admission to Ashesi with a full scholarship. Today, he has furthered his education and supports his family. 

“That experience reinforced something important,” she says. “You don’t need to have ‘arrived’ to support someone else. You just need to be willing to act.” 

Remembering Johnson Maturo ’27

Johnson Pendaeli Maturo was a student of purpose whose presence was felt in and out of the classroom. Having come from Mringa Secondary School in Tanzania where he taught Physics to 527 students, he understood both sides of the teacher-student relationship and knew what a good education could do for a person. He valued the opportunities that Ashesi opened for him, and his cumulative GPA of 3.72 was a testament to how seriously Johnson took his studies.

What He Brought to Ashesi
Johnson Maturo came to Ashesi as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar—joining a program designed to identify young Africans of exceptional promise and to support their education so they could go on to transform their communities. The truth is, Johnson did not wait for matriculation or graduation to begin the work of making a positive impact in society. Even before Johnson arrived on campus, he had committed himself to mental health work in Tanzania. It is an area that remains underserved, and in much of the world, it still carries a stigma that discourages the most vulnerable from seeking help. Johnson chose that work anyway.

Susan Sasu ’11: What Happens When Success Isn’t Just About You?

For Susan Sasu ’11, leadership means creating impact beyond oneself. Every achievement is measured by the difference she makes in the lives of others.

“My mom always taught me that life isn’t just about me,” she says. “When I think about pivotal moments in my life, I don’t just think about my own journey. I think about the ecosystem around me, because we all have a responsibility to make sure it works.”

This international Women’s Day, with the theme “Give to Gain,” Sasu’s story reminds us that leadership is most powerful when it lifts others. By giving her time, expertise, and resources, she has not only built her own career but has created opportunities for others to grow.

From the early days of her career at Unilever Ghana to her current role as Senior Communications and Marketing Manager at Amazon, she has consistently prioritised work that makes a difference.

At Unilever Ghana, Sasu launched a side project called Asentenpa in a town near Aburi in the Eastern Region to help about 15 women gain practical business skills, from bookkeeping to store management. With Unilever’s support these women were able to start their own shops creating tangible improvements in their families’ livelihoods.

“By helping them start working, their families’ livelihoods improved. Investing in women strengthens entire communities,” she says.

Her commitment to mentorship continued during her Master’s in Business Administration at Duke University where she served on the board of the Fuqua Women in Business Association and worked as an Admissions Ambassador.  In this role, she interviewed prospective students and gained insights into what admissions teams look for when recruiting students and now uses that experience to coach young professionals seeking to build meaningful careers.

Sasu is also the co-founder of Gärden, a wellness brand that produces herbal teas and caffeine-free coffee alternatives. The company has supported the nonprofit Susan G. Komen through annual product donations toward breast cancer awareness and support.

Through these experiences, Sasu offers advice for young women starting their careers. She encourages them to work hard in their careers, being intentional about giving back, while cultivating meaningful relationships.

“You won’t just be handed opportunities,” she says. “You have to be deliberate about putting in the work, but at the same time, find ways to help others along the way. When you help other people grow, the entire ecosystem benefits.”

Little Acts of Inequality Make a Mighty Injustice: Musings on International Women’s Day

Professor Maame A.S. Mensa-Bonsu holds a BA in Theatre Arts and Spanish; and an LLB, both with First Class Honours, from the University of Ghana. She completed the Bachelor of Civil Law with distinction and her DPhil without corrections both at the University of Oxford, UK. Maame joined Ashesi from the LSE where she taught Public Law and Criminal Law. Maame’s research focuses on the constitutional experience of African democracies. She has a particular interest is judicial power in postcolonial African states.

On International Women’s Day, we pause to truly focus on the state of women around the world. It is a moment of celebration for sure. But it is also a moment of deep contemplation. I will tell you three anecdotes. Then we will celebrate the distance run through the work of our predecessors, reflect on what injustices remain in the lived experience of women, and introspect on how we individually make the journey of girls and women harder.

On my first visit to Lancaster in 2015, I was given a tour, and one of the historical sites pointed out to me was a spot in a 19th-century marketplace, where a man brought his wife, halter around her neck, leash attached, and sold her for £2 for being a nag. After about a month, we were told, he missed her and so went and bought her back. In 2016, we took a family road trip to Benin, and one day we were pulled over by a gendarme who wanted a bribe. My husband was sitting in front with the driver, and I was in the back with our sons. I rolled down my window, greeted him, and asked if there was a problem. He told me, sharply, to be quiet and that he was speaking to the men. When there are men present, he scolded me, women should not speak. I promptly kept quiet, knowing that I was the only person in the vehicle who spoke French. After he tried futilely to communicate with my husband, he turned to me. But I refused to utter a single word. Finally, he gave up and let us drive off. One evening in 2024, while I was guest lecturing for a semester at GIMPA, I sought admittance through the staff-only back gate. The security man asked me a number of questions and then asked for my name. I answered ‘Prof. Mensa-Bonsu.’  The guard let out a vastly amused snort, said, ‘a woman taking professor?!’, and burst into laughter. Still chortling, he sauntered off and opened the gate.

The comical twist at the end of all three anecdotes makes them good dinner party stories. But after the chuckles die down, one is struck, (I hope) by what they betray of life as a woman. Two hundred or so years ago, English men could sell their wives. Imagine the total helplessness of a woman of that age- to be another’s property, as easily tradeable as a donkey or a chair. What a sad state to live in. The condition of women has come a long way since then. In many countries, women are no longer chattel. The common law doctrine of ‘coverture’, and its civil law equivalent, under which a married woman was ‘covered’, i.e., absorbed by her husband, has ceased to apply in very many places. Married women now can own property, take jobs without their husband’s permission, and have a vote.

Here in Ghana, the courts’ jurisprudence has moved from the 1959 decision in Quartey v Martey, where a woman was held to be duty-bound to help her husband excel in his station of life, and in return was entitled to the use of that which the said man considered suitable for his wife; only for as long as she was his wife.  On divorce or widowhood, therefore, she was to return to her people as she came.  Our Constitution now entitles each spouse to an equitable share of property jointly acquired during marriage, and the courts have said they will accept the performance of family duties as a contribution towards property. That is nice. But in practice, the majority of women are in no better place for it. For how does one distinguish a mother’s own parenting and homemaking duties from parenting and homemaking duties that amount to sweat equity in property?

A Double Win for Ashesi at CFA Research Challenge Ghana

Two Ashesi student teams, Sigma Capital Partners and Alpha Capital Partners, have placed first and second, respectively, at the 2026 CFA Institute Research Challenge (Ghana). The competition required participating teams to conduct a comprehensive valuation of the MTN Group. 

Sigma Capital Partners, comprising Moro Sulleyman ’26, Gift Quaye ’26, Tadiwanashe Chamisa ’27, Francis Acquah ’27, and Raymond Appiah ’27, began their work with in-depth company and industry analysis. They examined MTN’s revenue streams, competitive forces, macroeconomic risks, and long-term growth prospects. 

Their analysis revealed that while MTN’s traditional voice revenue has been declining, its FinTech segment has experienced notable growth. However, the team found insufficient evidence to conclude that FinTech growth would fully offset the near-term decline in voice revenue. They also assessed industry competition and identified potential disruption from new telecommunications entrants such as Starlink, particularly in internet data provision, one of MTN’s major revenue drivers. 

Using valuation methodologies including Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), which projects future cash flows and adjusts them to present value, and Comparable Company Analysis, which benchmarks a firm against similar telecommunications companies across Africa, Sigma Capital recommended a “Hold.” This meant existing shareholders were advised not to sell their shares immediately, as the team anticipated modest share price appreciation. 

“Different teams can arrive at different valuations, but what sets you apart is how clearly and confidently you can defend your assumptions,” said Moro Sulleyman ’26, Team Lead. 

Ashesi Venture Incubator Fellows and Ashesi MBA Students Embark on an Immersion Visit to a Mechanized Poultry Farm

The Ashesi Venture Incubator (AVI) Cohort 7 Fellows and the Ashesi MBA Class of 2027 recently undertook an immersion visit to Wireko Asubonteng Farms Limited (WAF Ltd.), a 55-acre mechanized poultry farm in Bekwai, in Ghana’s Ashanti Region.

For the MBA students, the visit served as a live case study for their Process Innovation and Technology module, demonstrating how systems thinking, process design, and technology integration drive measurable outcomes in real-world operations. For AVI founders in the agribusiness track, it offered firsthand insight into what it takes to build and sustain a venture at scale.

“I saw that building a farm and any venture, for that matter, at scale requires more than just passion,” shared Yaw Koranteng Boafo, M’27. “It requires systems, discipline, and a long-term vision.” The experience reshaped participants’ perspectives on operational excellence and strategic growth.

“I am now more attentive to how systems are designed behind the scenes and how technology can be leveraged to solve operational challenges,” said Carol Adjoba Maclean, M’27 and AVI Cohort 7 Fellow. “It has broadened my thinking around opportunities within the agriculture value chain and other operationally intensive industries.”

Building a Career One Frame at a Time

Long before arriving on campus, many experience Ashesi University through the images and videos that showcase its learning and impact. Behind many of these moments is Cyril Kuornoo ’21, usually behind the lens, quietly documenting our stories and rarely in the spotlight himself.

During his freshman year at Ashesi, Kuornoo and his team worked on a project for the Foundations of Design and Entrepreneurship (FDE) course — a class that challenges students to address real-world problems using design thinking, creativity, and entrepreneurial approaches. When his team prepared their first presentation, they chose to present their ideas through video rather than traditional slides.

What began as a basic phone recording sparked Kuornoo’s interest in visual storytelling. Subsequently, he began incorporating photographs and videos into his academic work whenever possible.

Recognizing the importance of community growth, he joined the Photography & Film Club, where he found peers who shared his creative curiosity. The club gave him deeper exposure to the field, including an opportunity to job-shadow a professional photographer who visited Ashesi to engage with students.

During his time with the Photography & Film Club, Kuornoo regularly volunteered to capture campus events through photography and video. This helped him build a good portfolio, leading to an internship with the University’s External Relations Office, now University Communications. There, he supported multimedia projects that told the community’s stories.