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News from 2003
Jan-Mar | Apr-Jun | Jul-Sep | Oct-Dec
Edited by: Regina Agyare, Abdul-Latif Issahaku, and Matthew Taggart

Ashesi celebrates success
Jun 2003

On June 21st 2003, over 150 supporters of Ashesi University gathered at the East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, Washington to celebrate all that the young university has accomplished to date.

Guests were treated to delicious West African food provided by Afrikando restaurant in Seattle.
Children had the opportunity to participate in crafts projects, including creating their own kente cloth, and making Ghanaian flags. The youngsters were also treated to wonderful traditional Ghanaian stories about the adventures and misadventures of Anansi the spider. Children and adults tried their hand at traditional African drumming as Kofi Anang of Ocheami led participants in an African drumming and dance performance.

The gathered guests were led in the celebration by three inspiring speakers. President and Founder Patrick Awuah gave a moving speech reflecting on the many contributions people have made in creating Ashesi University. Patrick described the struggles that are part of starting such a bold new venture and conveyed his hope for the future of Ashesi and Africa (click here to read full text). 

Patrick's speech was followed by remarks from Ashesi's Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Nana Apt, who described how the Ashesi education differs from other universities operating in Ghana today and why Ashesi has risen to become an academic model in Ghanaian higher education in such a short time. Professor Apt concluded her remarks by showing a brief film, in which several Ashesi students explained what this institution means to them.

Finally, former Microsoft Vice President, Paul Maritz, a native of Zimbabwe, described why he decided to support Ashesi and reflected on what he saw on a recent trip to Ashesi's campus in Accra. He spoke enthusiastically about Ashesi's accomplishments in the face of significant challenges. He shared his belief that the development of Ashesi University is one of the most important things happening in Africa today (click here to read a summary of his remarks).

It was wonderful to have so many supporters of Ashesi together to share the excitement for this momentous project. (Click here to view a slideshow of pictures from the event)

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Students visit Parliament as part of Leadership Seminar
By Isaac Tuggen, Class of 2005
Jun 2003

Students on the steps of the Parliament House with the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports
Ashesi's goal of training students to become responsible leaders and well-informed citizens was taken a step further when the Class of 2005 took a trip to Ghana's Parliament House on June 20, 2003. As part of a leadership seminar, Mr. Mark Poynter, a lecturer in liberal arts led the students to the distinguished "House of Honourables". The prime objective of the visit was to enlighten students on how laws are passed by the legislative arm of government following two weeks of instruction in Constitutional Law.

For many students, it was their first experience of parliamentary deliberations. The House was scheduled to commence proceedings at 10.00 am; however, the Speaker was ushered in by the "Marshall" at 10:10am. After leading the house in prayer, the Speaker went through the minutes of the previous deliberations, article by article, pausing at each article for possible correction or amendment by any member of the House. The Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs then took the floor to read out the day's agenda for discussion. Next the Minister for Communications and Technology was subjected to a series of questions about Ghana Telecom Limited, the nation's telecoms provider, and its efforts and plans at extending telephone services to various parts of the country.

Conspicuously observed was the poor attendance by members of the House. At 10.45 am, the House was still less than three quarters full. Moreover, the constant movement in and out of the chamber by the members made a visitor to the house for the first time wonder how they could meaningfully contribute to Parliamentary Bills under discussion. The Speaker displayed brilliance in his handling of the house, insisting on clarity of expressions and proper phrasing of questions. In their contributions, members easily accepted corrections from their fellow members in good faith, which was laudable. Members from the minority side subjected their colleagues on the opposite side to some hooting on certain issues. Some students came away with the impression was that the Speaker had more power than was necessary. Another striking observation was the interest shown by the general public in parliamentary deliberations.

Additionally, students were privileged to have an informal interaction with the Honorable Minister for Education, Youth and Sports and his deputy who happened to be in the house at the time. The Minister expressed his appreciation to the students for the visit to the house and promised to pay an "unannounced" visit to the campus of Ashesi University as required under the Ghana Constitution. He advised students to discard the conventional attitude of looking for public-sector jobs after graduation and rather to be creative and innovative in their approach to job seeking. His said business opportunities abound in Africa and graduates must take advantage of them by exploring the various opportunities.

The visit enabled the students to gain a better appreciation of parliamentary proceedings. In addition, it afforded the students the opportunity to interact informally with the Minister for Education, Youth and Sports.

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Ashesi students learn about the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE)
By Yawa Osebreh, Class of 2006
Jun 2003
Friday June 13, 2003 was an eye-opener for many in the Ashesi Class of 2006. Professor Sitsofe Enyonam Anku led his Calculus class on a trip to the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). The foremost objective of the trip was to learn at first-hand the operations of a stock exchange in the economy of a country and to relate operations used at the stock exchange to mathematical concepts taught in Calculus.

The Public Relations Manager of the company, Mrs. Diana Okine, explained that the stock exchange is an organized market that unites buyers and sellers of securities (shares, bonds and stocks). The GSE is relatively new, incorporated in November 1990, and only twenty five companies are currently listed. GSE is not a government-owned entity, but privately held. It has no shareholders but is incorporated as a public company limited by guarantee, with members who are either corporate bodies or individuals contributing to the promotion of the stock exchange. However, the government and the Bank of Ghana (BoG) have oversight responsibility over its operation. Furthermore, the activities of the GSE are regulated and overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission. (SEC), whose head is appointed by the Minister of Finance. This compelled some members of the class to question whether the GSE is indeed devoid of governmental control.

The class also had the opportunity to observe trading carried out on the trading floor. Trading was visibly slow on that day; traders were seen placing their bids and offers on various boards that represented trading equities. Most of the trading is done manually in this manner. Teaching Assistant, Tristan Hromnik, who accompanied the group, wanted to know whether the GSE has plans to computerize the trading process. Mrs. Okine in response, disclosed that computerization is part of their development agenda and tireless efforts are being pursued to raise funds to undertake that venture.

She explained that after each trading day, the GSE All Share Index is calculated. This Index is a measure of market performance expressed in percentages as a ratio of Market Capitalization and Average Market Capitalization. The GSE All Share Index gives an indication of the performance of various listed securities assisting investors in taking investment decisions. This discovery satisfied our curiosity to appreciate real life applications of mathematics as Professor Anku strives to establish.

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The 2nd Annual Pan-African Student Summit - How Ashesi was showcased
By Abdul-Latif Issahaku, Class of 2005
J
un 2003
"
We are linked in both life and death. Those who share common blood and relations never break apart". "Nkonsonkonson"

This interpretation of an "Adinkra" symbol of the Asantes of Ghana summarizes the inspiration for the Pan-African Student Summit. This annual summit brings together both African students at home and in the Diaspora, particularly African-American students, to discuss Africa's development problems and agenda within the context of culture.

The theme for this year's summit was "Imagination and Creativity, Africa's Cultural Catalyst for Development." Over one hundred students from Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and the US participated in the summit. The historical inspiration of the summit is credited to a giant in Ghanaian, African and World history, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who said forty years ago that, "it is vital that we should nurture our own culture and history, if we are to develop that African personality which must provide the educational and intellectual foundation of our Pan-African future."

The summit was organized in a manner rich in cultural entertainment, stimulating dialogue and scholarly presentations. "Finding Common Ground" was the agenda for the first day of the summit. Participants from different countries took the opportunity to understand their cultural diversity and the need to break cultural barriers to create a common platform for all African people.

On subsequent days a series of workshops on challenges for African youth were held, such as "The Promise of IT in Africa." On this particular panel was Herman Chinery-Hesse, Managing Director of SOFT Ghana Limited (the largest software company in Ghana), who is described in some circles as the "Bill Gates of Ghana". Other workshops included "The Meaning of Tradition and its Role in Contemporary Culture", "The Language of Culture", and "The Power of Imagination and Creativity." These workshops were facilitated by the popular African-American dancer and internationally renowned choreographer, educator and scholar, Reginald Yates.

Throughout the summit, the students met in groups each day to work on country projects designed by the organizers. These projects required various groups, called Presidential Commissions, to study the problems of Togo, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Benin in the education, technology, business, agriculture, and health sectors of the economy. At the end, they made recommendations for addressing these problems and submitted their reports to the organizers.

Remarkably, the summit was an event that highlighted the achievement of two students of Ashesi University; their entry essays were selected among the best three in the whole country. Unfortunately, the two million cedi winner's prize went to the third contestant from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Despite this hard luck, the achievement was significant as it projected the image of Ashesi high in the minds of many for presenting two of the best three essays.

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Ashesi students interact with Microsoft Senior Finance Manager
By Keren Mettle-Nunoo, class of 2006
May 2003
On May 27, 2003, Ashesi students had the privilege to interact with Dr. Ohene Aku Kwapong, Senior Financial Manager in the Client Business Group at Microsoft Corporation. In a presentation entitled Microsoft, Delivering Great Products, he discussed how Microsoft's value system has contributed to the company's success and challenged Ashesi students to use a value centered model when they think about pricing products.

Dr. Kwapong disclosed that Microsoft has three supporting values that contribute to the company's successes. These values include integrity, accountability, and passion for customers and partners. To ensure that high standards are maintained he mentioned the practice in Microsoft to review their operations every quarter.

Dr. Kwapong asked students to participate in a group activity that was aimed at developing problem solving skills used by business managers. In simple terms, students were required to choose a product of interest, determine a price for the product and a quantity to produce. In addition, they were challenged to convince him why a customer should buy the product. Dr. Kwapong instructed students that, "Prices should not be the issue when one starts a business. What value the company is delivering to the customer should be the consideration."

The students enjoyed Dr. Kwapong's presentation and found it very inspiring. Many requested that Dr. Kwapong return to Ashesi again in the near future.

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Class of 2006 Visits Quality Insurance Company
By Yawa Osebreh, class of 2006
May 2003
On Thursday May 22, 2003, Ashesi's class of 2006, led by Professor S.E. Anku, paid a pioneering visit to the premises of Quality Insurance Company (QIC) located in Adabraka. The group was met on arrival by five of the company's managers, including Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Frank Odoom. This group of managers fielded questions from Ashesi students for over three hours answering each query in detail.

The CEO of QIC, Dr. Frank Odoom, in his closing remarks, thanked the class of 2006 for paying a visit to his company. He considered it an honor that his company was the first that the class had visited. He encouraged the class to maintain its high level of curiosity and take full advantage of all that Ashesi has to offer. In a response to a suggestion made by Professor Anku that QIC take on some students on internships, Dr. Odoom spoke of the possibility of taking on two or three students during vacation periods. After Dr. Odoom's remarks, one of the members of the class of 2006 gave a vote of thanks to the management of QIC for allowing the class to visit the company.

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Cornell Professor discusses micro-insurance at Ashesi
By Keren Mettle-Nunoo, class of 2006
May 2003
On May 20, 2003, as part of Ashesi University's continuing seminar series on "The Global Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for Ghana," Professor Ravi Kanbur, T. H. Lee Professor of World Affairs and Professor of Economics at Cornell University delivered a lecture on "Poverty, Vulnerability and Micro-insurance."

Professor Kanbur, discussed with students how poverty is defined, explaining such terms as "the poverty line," and shared ways in which the dynamics of poverty could be studied. He explained both qualitative and quantitative survey methods and how the data gathered might be used to support continuing research of poverty in Ghana.

Prof. Kanbur's presentation highlighted vulnerability as a key dimension of poverty. "To be poor means a person is living below a threshold where even small things can knock one off or send one on a downward spiral." Prof. Kanbur recommended that micro-insurance programs should be developed in poor communities to help boost stability. Kanbur cited the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) of India, an organization of poor, self-employed women as a good example of how a micro-insurance program can operate. These women, he explained, earn a living through their own labor or by operating small businesses and SEWA gives them assistance when business incomes alone cannot support their families. "This organization (SEWA) recognizes good times and bad times", he said. Such micro-insurance programs offer security to families that otherwise would never be able to afford insurance.

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Introducing the newest members of Ashesi's staff . . .
Apr 2003
Three new staff members have recently joined our team to help manage the demands of our rapidly growing institution. Below is some brief information about the newest members of our community:

Ms. Catherine Evans-Totoe, Associate Dean of Student & Community Affairs. A graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Catherine has experience in both human resources and office management and is very familiar with the Ghana's business landscape. Catherine will help support the student community on campus, ensuring that their experience at Ashesi is the best it can be, locally, and with the community at large.

Mr. Alexander Tabi, Financial Officer. Alex has over 10 years of experience in finance and accounting, and has worked in the education sector since 1994. Having worked for Catholic Relief Services for four years, he is also familiar with the non-profit sector. Alexander is very enthusiastic about the opportunity to join the Ashesi team, and looks forward to helping Ashesi realize its mission by ensuring that we have the proper accounting systems in place.

Ms. Fafa Zormelo, Associate Dean of Admissions. Fafa holds an MBA from American University in Washington DC and is proficient in English, French, Spanish, and Ewe. She is a world traveler had has spent time living in English and French speaking countries in Africa, Europe and North America. Fafa aims to boost Ashesi's marketing efforts and recruit students who have the potential to be leaders. She seeks to identify students who have the capacity to help "resolve the basic problems in Africa as well as major global issues."

Congratulations to all of our new team members, and welcome to our community!

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