On Saturday the 3rd of October, Ashesi celebrated the launch of its new Engineering programme, and inaugurated its new Engineering building. The ceremony marked a significant milestone for Ashesi, with Engineering being the biggest addition to our academic programmes since 2005. Guests of Honour included the Vice-President of Ghana, His Excellency Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, former U.S NASA Astronaut Dr. Robert Satcher, the Vice Chancellor of University of Mines & Technology, Professor Jerry Kuma and Nananom of the Akuapim Traditional Area. Over five hundred guests were present at the launch, including staff, faculty, students, alumni, parents and donors to the Engineering programme.

Ashesi’s new engineering majors – Computer Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering – will place emphasis on hands-on learning, entrepreneurship, design and problem solving, and will equip students with skills to create long-term solutions to Africa’s engineering challenges and deploy better-designed infrastructure for local needs.

“Our progress has been steady, and our determination unwavering,” said Ashesi President Dr. Patrick Awuah. “Choosing to start an Engineering programme, was the next best step we believed we could take, because we could see in a strong way, how engineers influence the world we live in. […] At its best, engineering encompasses the application of mathematics, science, design, psychology and economics. It touches all facets of modern human life. Agriculture, healthcare and education. The products that engineers make are all around us, in our homes and in the places we work.

If we really want to transform agriculture in Africa, then we must care about engineering. If we really want to improve healthcare, we must care about engineering. If we want to enable private sector growth by building the enabling infrastructure, then we must care about engineering. If we want to drive economic growth through industrialization, we must care about engineering.”