Ashesi Commencement 2024
In a vibrant weekend of celebration, joy and accomplishment, Ashesi’s twentieth undergraduate class gathered alongside family members, friends, and distinguished guests to mark the end of their time as students.
A Living, Breathing Campus
Ashesi’s campus, in the hills of Berekuso in Ghana’s Eastern Region, offers an inspiring setting. With buildings organised around interconnected courtyards and gardens, our campus blends modern architecture, traditional Ghanaian design, and environmental best practices to create a beautiful setting.
Inspired by traditional Ghanaian Design
Ashesi’s campus design was inspired by traditional Ghanaian Asante buildings – most of which have now disappeared – that are listed as World Heritage property by UNESCO and documented by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.
The architecture is characterized by the courtyard house, a building type that became a base for all other buildings. The courtyard is a place for recreation, cooking and other social activity.
Early Concepts and Drawings
On February 15, 1999, Ashesi’s Founder sent an e-mail to Evy Ibarra, Dewi Susanti, and Sofia Veniard (students at UC Berkeley at the time, and former partners of then design firm, Studio213b). It was an invitation to create the first conceptual drawings for Ashesi’s campus.
The team produced a community-centered concept that accounted for Ghana’s climate and vernacular, and Ashesi’s founding principles.
Bringing The Campus to Life
The early conceptual designs for Ashesi’s campus would be developed into full architectural drawings by Sutherland & Sutherland. The Ghanaian architectural firm – led by Ralph and Chris Sutherland – has been practising in the design space in Ghana since 1996.
Since 2008, Sutherland & Sutherland has designed all of Ashesi’s buildings and spaces.
Join students Thembani Ngwenya ’26 and Daryll Dufu ‘26 as they provide a walk-through of Ashesi’s current campus, and describe their favourite spaces and features.
Sanitation
Ashesi’s campus uses a biodigester sewage system that reclaims treated nutrient-rich water to irrigate campus gardens. Reclaimed water is tested monthly and meets WHO and national safety standards for irrigation.
Water
With no access to the national water supply grid, Ashesi’s campus depends on boreholes and rainwater harvesting. A three-phase filtration and UV sterilization process yields potable water that meets WHO and national standards. Water quality is tested monthly.
Energy
Campus buildings are designed to maximize the use of natural light. Thirteen percent of electric energy comes from solar power, with a goal to increase this to sixty percent by 2030.
100
acres overlooking Ghana’s capital
2 million
litres of water storage
13%
of power from solar energy
Ashesi’s campus growth has been marked by three significant phases which spanned the addition of new programmes and growth in student enrolment.
Ashesi Inaugurates Permanent Campus in Berekuso
After nine years in rented buildings in Accra, Ashesi finally moved to its campus in Berekuso. Phase one of Ashesi’s campus too eighteen months to complete.
New Engineering Programmes Lead to Campus Expansion
The second-phase of Ashesi’s campus expansion came with the launch of three new programmes in Engineering, also marking growth in enrolment.
History and euphoria as Ashesi opens new sports centre
The sports centre marked the third phase of Ashesi’s campus expansion, which increased spaces for dining, recreation and student housing.
Welcome to Ashesi
Ashesi’s transformative experience challenges students to grow intellectually, act ethically, and innovate courageously as they reach for a life defined by purpose and impact.