Patrick Awuah: I considered closing down Ashesi University

The founder and President of Ashesi University, Patrick Awuah has revealed that he considered closing down the university due to some financial crisis he encountered a few years after he started the school.

According to him, among the many challenges he had to face, raising money to sustain the school became a problem and made him think of enrolling his students into other universities in the country.

Awuah also stated that people did not give him a chance when he decided to set up the university because they thought he was young and was not capable of running a private university in Ghana.

“People didn’t take me seriously when I came back and wanted to start Ashesi University,” Awuah told Bola Ray on Starr Chat on Starr 103.5FM.

Awuah added: “I did have a lot of naysayers in Ghana but I didn’t have a lot of naysayers in America… when I decided to quit Microsoft people said ‘hey’ this is a great idea, this is what life is all about you have to chase your dreams and when you are ready call us and we will see what we can do”.

“Another [challenge] was raising the money for it…we never had money for it and it was a challenge getting students into the school”.

Awuah, who grew up in Accra, left Ghana in 1985 to pursue his own education in the United States of America.

He was later recruited by Microsoft after college where he was offered a job. He spearheaded software design for dial-up internet access, making millions in the process.

He admits that quitting Microsoft was not an easy decision and credits his American wife for supporting him.