Patrick Awuah Jr, Founder of Ashesi University
President Nana Akufo-Addo has granted a Presidential Charter to Ashesi University College, making it an independent degree-granting institution.
The Charter will be formally presented at Ashesi’s 2018 Graduation Ceremony.
A letter signed by the Minister of State for Tertiary Education, Prof Kwesi Yankah, said the Charter was granted after a thorough assessment of the University’s facilities and qualifications by the National Accreditation Board.
“After a rigorous review of the university’s teaching and learning infrastructure, curriculum, finances, staff qualifications and governance, the National Accreditation Board presented a report to the Ministry of Education endorsing Ashesi’s readiness for independence from the University of Cape Coast, with which it has been affiliated,” the letter read.
The development will come as welcome news to the University, which submitted its application for Presidential Charter in January 2016 and was initially assured that it would be granted the Charter before the end of that year.
A statement on the University’s website said “the Presidential Charter is recognition of the University’s quality, strength, and impact on higher education in Ghana and beyond. ”
Ashesi becomes the youngest private university in Ghana’s history to receive the Charter.
About Ashesi University
The mission of Ashesi University is to educate ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa. The University was started in 2002 with a pioneer class of 30 students and Bachelor Degree programmes in Business and Computer Science. Today, the institution has nearly 2000 students and alumni, with additional Bachelor Degree offerings in Management Information Systems, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronical Engineering. Ashesi is now recognised as one of the finest institutions of higher education in Africa, with a curriculum is grounded in a multidisciplinary core, that teaches critical thinking, design thinking, entrepreneurship, ethics and leadership.
Ashesi is recognized for its excellent graduate placement, with almost all of its graduates receiving job offers, starting businesses or entering graduate school within six months of graduation. Ashesi’s graduates are considered as some of the most career-ready in Africa, and are ranked among the best educated in the world.
Ashesi has been celebrated in Ghana and around the world for its impact on higher education. In 2007, the founder of Ashesi University, Patrick Awuah, was awarded The Order of the Volta, one of Ghana’s highest national awards, for his exceptional contributions to Ghanaian higher education. In 2012, the University was ranked among Ghana’s ten most respected organizations in a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of CEOs. In 2017, Ashesi also received the World Innovation Summit in Education Prize, one of the world’s biggest prizes in education, awarded by the Qatar Foundation.
-Graphic.com.gh