2020 in review: events and stories that shaped an unprecedented year
In a year marked by a dreadful global pandemic, navigating the nuances of remote learning via Zoom, and social distancing, 2020 was a year unlike any other.
Here, we look back on the year, highlighting stories and events that shaped 2020 at Ashesi.
Alumnus Kelvin ’14 on leveraging data science for stronger decision-making in Africa
In early 2015, floods in Malawi displaced thousands of people and saw about a third of the country a disaster zone. Malawian reliance on subsistence farming also meant that the floods created a food crisis for millions across the country. To support the government of Malawi’s effort to better prepare for and prevent such flooding in the future, Zindi Africa in partnership with UNICEF and ARM, invited data scientists across Africa to interpret and generate insights from the 2015 flooding’s data.
From Accra, alumnus Kelvin Wellington ’14 was one of the data scientists across Africa that joined the call. His eventual submission, selected as the second-best by jury members from UNICEF, ARM and Zindi, was presented to the Malawian government to support policymaking and planning.
Moving forward in a pandemic: IFC interview with Ashesi President highlights role of universities
As the world grapples with COVID-19’s effects on health and the economy, another crisis is evolving — an education crisis — that threatens the future of young people. With higher education institutions converted into online learning platforms, the digital divide, especially in Africa, could result in many young people being left behind. But Patrick Awuah, founder and president of Ghana’s Ashesi University, an IFC investee, is committed to cultivating a new generation of African leaders to transform the continent and build on its potential. Here, he shares the pandemic-related challenges faced by Africa’s educational institutions and details how Ashesi University aims to integrate students’ access to technology into its business model.
In Nigeria’s youthful protests, calls for accountable leadership endure despite harsh crackdowns
In the wake of on-going protests against police brutality and push for reform within the government, and heavy-handed responses from security forces across the country, Nigeria has come into the global spotlight. Thousands of Nigerians — led by mostly young people — continue to urge for more accountability from the government, lawmakers and police leadership. During the week of October 19th, reports emerged of security forces in Nigeria responding with force. The escalation shocked many in Nigeria and beyond.
As we reached out to various members of our community living and working in Nigeria, many shared a belief that current events in the country represent a tipping point. Below, we share the voices of four of these alumni.
Sustainable development across the globe will hinge on the African continent — for nowhere else will population growth be as rapid in the years to come. Educational institutions across the continent need to be engaged in preparing highly skilled engineers from Africa, for Africa, to promote sustainable patterns of industrial development. Under the ETH for Development (ETH4D) initiative, ETH Zurich’s partnership with Ashesi will serve as a key model.
Dennis Asamoah ’12 builds Whatsapp banking platform to promote financial inclusion
When Dennis Asamoah ’12 started Nokwary Technologies, his goal was to use Artificial Intelligence to build solutions and products that are both inclusive and convenient. In creating a blueprint for this approach, his startup designed a WhatsApp-based banking service that allows platform users to make money transactions using voice commands and texts. In August of 2020, the banking system prototype won the Ecobank Fintech Challenge, bringing a boost to the development of the service.
Ashesi’s 2020/2021 academic year to start online
After weeks of deliberations within our community, Ashesi’s Executive team announced plans for semester one of the University’s 2020/2021 academic year to fully start online. Over the days since the announcement was made, various virtual meetings have been held to bring clarity to key stakeholder groups, the most recent being held for Ashesi parents. Discussions for the start of the semester were led by a campus reopening team that included faculty, administrators, and student leadership, with guidance from representatives on Ghana’s COVID-19 response team.
Ashesi University has been selected as a 2020 recipient of a Seeding Labs Instrumental Access award. Through the award, the University’s Engineering Department will receive scientific equipment from the Boston based NGO to support scientific exploration and research.
Seeding Labs makes high-quality laboratory equipment and supplies available to outstanding university departments and research institutes in emerging economies through the flagship award program. As one of the 18 awardees from 10 countries this year, Ashesi will leverage the tools for increasing research especially in bioengineering, and strengthen labs for teaching and learning.
My daughter graduated from high school in Ghana this month. And as the names of classmates from across the continent rolled across our screen during the virtual graduation ceremony, my family and I felt great pride for her hard work, her accomplishments, and the woman we see her becoming.
But I also found myself reflecting on our decision to move back to Ghana two decades ago — a decision driven by a sense of responsibility to change Africa’s narrative for my children, their peers, and future generations of African descent.
2020 Education Collaborative convenes virtually
The Education Collaborative brings together institutions committed to transforming Africa through high impact education innovation. Participants include public and private universities from across Africa as well as a select group of Ghanaian high schools. Each participating institution has the potential to impact multitudes of colleagues and students. By spreading the effective models Ashesi has developed as well as empowering other institutions to share their own best practices, the Education Collaborative has the potential to impact over 1 million students across Africa.
Started in 2019, the partnership between Ashesi University and Arizona State University (ASU) allows qualifying students to pursue a 5-year accelerated academic programme that grants them a Bachelor’s Degree from Ashesi and a Master’s Degree from ASU. Students for the programme will spend their first three years studying at Ashesi, during which they can apply to continue two more years of education at ASU.
Completion of the first year of study at ASU earns students a Bachelor’s degree from Ashesi, and completion of the second year earns them a Masters degree from ASU. Fees for the programme are fully funded under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at both Ashesi and ASU.
The Ashesi Venture Incubator (AVI) has welcomed fourteen new alumni as part of its second cohort of fellows. The Incubator is a one-year experience for recent graduates and alumni Ashesi. Over one year, fellows receive help in refining their business models, coaching from business leaders, business development support services, and subsistence stipends. The programme, launched in 2019, in partnership with the MIT D-Lab and with initial funding from USAID, has now enrolled twenty-six fellows.
Ashesi was ranked first in Ghana, ninth in Africa, and among the world’s top 400, in the 2020 Global Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. The Impact Rankings measure the actions taken by higher education institutions to realise the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the world, and contributions to the world’s economic and social well-being. Other Ghanaian universities accepted to the 2020 rankings list, were the University of Ghana and the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
In acts of leadership, Ashesi community rallies to support members most affected by pandemic
Sitting at home, Ashesi’s Dean of Students, Abdul Mahdi, watched as over two hundred students in the Class of 2020 logged into the first of many virtual townhall meetings. It had been a week since campus temporarily closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the University was laying the groundwork to move operations online. As the graduating class, students had a lot of questions about the next steps for their academic journey, and the University’s Executive Team was meeting with them virtually to answer questions.
Unusual time brings unusual lessons, as Ashesi’s semester restarts online
Before the global COVID-19 pandemic, Ashesi’s I.T team had been helping establish an ecosystem of software tools and resources meant to aid operations, teaching and learning. Teams across campus actively experimented with deeper use of virtual collaboration tools; new student information and learning management systems were deployed for supporting teaching and learning; and nearly all university offices — from Career Services to Finance — had deployed virtual tools meant to amplify campus operation.
Nonetheless, the University’s full transition to online operations earlier in March is bringing a new set of lessons for many across campus — especially faculty and students. Through a two-week window teaching plans and content were remodeled for remote teaching, and class simulations allowed both students and faculty to strategise for anticipated challenges ahead of the semester restart.
