Our History
Since our founding in 2002, Ashesi has established a reputation as a leader in undergraduate education in Africa, with an educational experience that fosters ethical leadership, an entrepreneurial mindset, and the ability to solve complex problems.
Africa’s future is being shaped in its universities, where only 10% of sub-Saharan African youth are enrolled. These students are destined to become the continent’s next leaders yet face educational systems plagued by overcrowding, underfunding, and a lack of practical training. Academic dishonesty is too common. How can Africa’s future leaders possibly learn to think and behave differently if we don’t educate them in a different way?
If we want different results, we must do something different. Ashesi was established in 2002 as an example of how innovation can bring out different and better outcomes. Starting with just 30 students, the University has grown significantly, well on its way to an enrolment of 2000. It challenges the norm with a multidisciplinary core curriculum, a student-led honour code, and a focus on ethical leadership. Ashesi’s model has also proven successful, with nearly all of its graduates quickly finding employment and a majority doing so in Africa. The University’s impact now extends beyond its graduates, influencing the broader educational landscape in Africa.
Here’s our journey.
Jump To:
A Community of Trust Takes Shape
A New Era in Berekuso
Gaining a Charter, and Independence
“If there is anything you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”
These words, attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, are the inspiration behind the university’s name, Ashesi, which means “beginning” in Fante (a Ghanaian language).
1997
Patrick Awuah gives up a career at Microsoft Corporation to embark on a journey that will bring him back to Africa to start a new kind of university. To prepare, he enrolls in the MBA program at UC Berkeley.
1998
Patrick Awuah, Nina Marini, and graduate students from UC Berkeley conduct a feasibility study for a new private university in Ghana.
1999
Ashesi University Foundation is founded by Patrick Awuah and Nina Marini and is spearheaded by a well-qualified Board of Trustees and management governance whose efforts are complemented by advisory boards located in the US and Ghana. Ashesi’s initial curriculum is developed with faculty advisors from Swarthmore College, UC Berkeley, and the University of Washington
2002
Ashesi University launches with a mission to educate the next generation of ethical entrepreneurial leaders in Africa. It begins with two majors -Computer Science and Business Administration- and a liberal arts core curriculum.
Ashesi starts in a refurbished home in Accra.
2005
Pioneer class graduates, and at their ceremony begin a tradition of graduating classes giving to their alma mater. 100% of the class starts careers within six months of graduation.
This year also, Ashesi introduces a Management Information Systems major.
2006
Ashesi students elect the first woman university student government president in Ghana’s history.
2007
A UC Berkeley study finds that local and multinational employers rate Ashesi and Ashesi Graduates #1 in Ghana in Quality of Curriculum, Career Preparation, Communication Skills, Maturity, Professional Skills, and Ethics.
2008
Students vote to adopt Examination Honor Code – Africa’s first. Ashesi also attains its first year of operational financial sustainability, as fees from students who can afford to pay cover annual operating expenses. Capital Campaign for new campus begins.
2009
Ashesi breaks ground for construction to begin on permanent campus in Berekuso. The construction will not start until January 2010.
2010
Our community - faculty, staff, students and alumni - came together to identify seven key learning outcomes that every graduate must achieve after completing their education at Ashesi. The Ashesi Learning Goals will be included in learning outcomes for course design moving forward, and the Career Services Office will survey employers each year to identify how students perform on the goals in the world.
An additional goal is included in 2017, after broad stakeholder engagement.
2011
Phase one of new campus completed on time and within budget, with Vice President of Ghana H.E John Mahama joining the Ashesi community, friends of the University, and Nana Oteng-Korankye II - Chief of Berekuso - for the inauguration.
2012
The MasterCard Foundation names Ashesi as one of nine pioneering partners for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme - its flagship scholarship programme for African students to study at high-impact universities. The partnership helps Ashesi expand pan-African recruitment.
2013
Ashesi breaks ground for the construction of a building to host new Engineering programmes. It will be the first time Ashesi is introducing new majors since 2005.
2015
Ashesi launches new Engineering programmes in Electrical, Mechanical, and Computer Engineering and inaugurates the Robert and Dorothy King Engineering building.
That same year, Ashesi President, Patrick Awuah, is named one of World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine and also receives a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship in recognition of Ashesi's impact.
That same year, Ashesi President, Patrick Awuah, is named one of World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine and also receives a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship in recognition of Ashesi's impact.
2016
Ashesi, in partnership with the World Bank Group, the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, and Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), inaugurates the Ghana Climate Innovation Center (GCIC) on Ashesi’s campus.
The Center supports Ghanaian entrepreneurs and new ventures involved in developing profitable and locally relevant solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
2017
Ashesi President Patrick Awuah receives World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) 2017 Prize, before an audience from over 100 countries. The WISE Prize for Education is the first distinction of its kind to recognize an individual or a team of up to six people for an outstanding, world-class contribution to education. The Laureate receives the WISE Prize for Education gold medal and $500,000. Patrick Awuah elects for the prize money to be donated to the University.
The Education Collaborative at Ashesi also launches in 2017 to serve as a platform for African universities to collaborate and work together, with a goal of strengthening student learning and outcomes, and sustainable access to quality education on the continent.
The Education Collaborative at Ashesi also launches in 2017 to serve as a platform for African universities to collaborate and work together, with a goal of strengthening student learning and outcomes, and sustainable access to quality education on the continent.
Play Video about Ashesi President lifts up framed Presidential Charter
2018
Ashesi is awarded a Presidential Charter by the President of Ghana H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, making Ashesi a fully independent university. Ashesi becomes the youngest university in Ghana's history to receive a Charter at this time.
2019
The U7+ alliance, a pioneer group of universities from the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US) invite Ashesi, University of Cape Town, and five other African universities to join them in a first of its kind partnership.
Also, in 2019, Ashesi Venture Incubator launches in partnership with MIT D-Lab and supported by USAID.
Twelve alumni are selected as inaugural fellows for the Incubator. The initiative will seek to provide funding, training, and mentorship for young entrepreneurs at Ashesi. The incubator will eventually be consolidated with other entrepreneurship programmes into the Centre for Entrepreneurship.
Also, in 2019, Ashesi Venture Incubator launches in partnership with MIT D-Lab and supported by USAID.
Twelve alumni are selected as inaugural fellows for the Incubator. The initiative will seek to provide funding, training, and mentorship for young entrepreneurs at Ashesi. The incubator will eventually be consolidated with other entrepreneurship programmes into the Centre for Entrepreneurship.
2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic forces schools to close, Ashesi transitions to operate fully online. Despite these challenges, Ashesi and ETH Zurich in Switzerland partner to launch a new joint Master's in Mechatronic Engineering. The ETH Foundation and industrial partners ABB, Barry Callebaut, Bühler, HPW, Holcim, and Nestlé also support this pioneering project through funding and scholarships. In addition, internships and career opportunities being offered at their African offices will equip graduates with the skills needed in emerging local labour markets.
Ashesi is ranked #1 in Ghana, #9 in Africa, and among the world's top 400 universities, in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings. The ranking is based on measurement of actions being taken by universities to help achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Ashesi is ranked #1 in Ghana, #9 in Africa, and among the world's top 400 universities, in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings. The ranking is based on measurement of actions being taken by universities to help achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.2021
The University experiments with a partial reopening for a small group of students in January of 2021, allowing those who are unable to continue studying at home to return. Campus reopens for all students in September this year, after nearly all members of the community had been vaccinated. To limit public gatherings and increase safety, classes continue to stay online until January 2022.
Play Video
2022
Over the past twenty years, Ashesi has set an example for impactful African higher education. The From 30 students in 2002 to over 3,000 students and alumni in 2022. The University's mission-driven partnerships and collaborative work have impacted learning outcomes for nearly 150,000 young people in secondary and tertiary education in Africa. Thanks to the consequential work done in its first two decades, the University enters its third decade on a strong footing.
2023
Ashesi introduces new undergraduate majors in Economics and Mechatronic Engineering, steadily growing enrolment.