President of Ashesi University Patrick Awuah has asked Ghanaians abroad to return home to help build the country.
In an exclusive interview with ghanaweb in Canada. Awuah said there are a lot of opportunities in Ghana for people willing to come back to contribute to the development of Ghana.
“There are a lot of problems to be solved and there are also markets to be created,” He said.
“That combination of opportunities ahead and the challenges now makes it a better time to return home,” Awuah added.
He left a his senior position at Microsoft 17 years ago to set up Ashesi University which is contributing to the renaissance of quality education in Africa. Awuah is the mastermind behind Ashesi’s focus on quality education and raising a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders with critical thinking high ethical standards.
Awuah believes when more Ghanaians come back home to help build the country in their fields of speciality, the country will grow.
“when you come home, you will become part of the leadership core of the country. People who have knowledge, who have global networks can be very influential in our context,” He said.
Awuah said he didn’t build Ashesi alone but brought his network of high tech from the US who helped him build a strong brand. He also had a network in Ghana and I knew how to navigate because that’s where he grew “and that combination put me in a position where I could make meaningful contribution to our society,” Awuah believes Ghana has the opportunity to become the hub of higher education.
Stating examples from US states like California and Massachusetts which rank high as the top spots for higher education, he thinks Ghana can take advantage and lead in that regard. He said Ghana needs to deliver education that is practical, project oriented and encourages critical thinking.
“If we make sure that we’re really emphasizing on ethics and leadership, then we will be producing graduates who will stand out in Africa,” He said.
Awuah also believes that when students are motivated from a younger stage, they will be able to keep up the interest to become what they want to be. He therefore urged universities to get programs where they will be to have high school students come over to be mentored by both students and lecturers.
“Students in high school don’t study engineering. When you get students who have never studied engineering come to campus, when you pair them up with university students who will mentor them and they build things and program machines, it’s such an empowering experience.” He said.
Mr. Awuah was recently honored with a doctorate of engineering by the University of Waterloo one of the Canada’s top universities for his role in bringing leadership to African students. Awuah becomes the first and only Ghanaian to be conferred with an honorary degree by the university.
