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Meet Patrick Awuah – Ghanian Who Left His Lucrative Job at Microsoft to Start a University in Ghana for Young Africans 

Patrick Gyimah Awuah Jr is a Ghanaian engineer, educator, entrepreneur, and the award-winning Founder and President of Ashesi University, a private, not-for-profit institution in Ghana.

He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering and Economics from Swarthmore College; an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business; and honorary doctorates from Swarthmore College, Babson College, University of Waterloo and Connecticut College.

Patrick Awuah spent nearly 20 years living in America and also worked as a Program Manager at Microsoft before returning to Ghana to found Ashesi University in 2002

He started the institution to develop students’ capacity for critical thought, empathy, and the fortitude necessary to reshape the continent and educate ethical, business-minded leaders in Africa.

The institution offers a four-year bachelor’s program based on a multidisciplinary core curriculum, with majors in business administration, management information systems, computer science, electrical and electronic engineering, computer engineering, and mechanical engineering.

The president of Ghana granted Ashesi University a charter in 2018, granting it complete independence as a nationally recognized degree-granting institution. It was the country’s youngest university to be granted a presidential charter. 

It is also a member of the Association of African Universities, the Council of Independent Universities, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Patrick has also won numerous awards for his educational development in Ghana. These include the Order of the Volta by His Excellency President J.A. Kufuor, the Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award, an Elon Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the McNulty Prize, and the MacArthur Fellowship.

Fortune Magazine also named him one of the world’s 50 most outstanding leaders. Patrick was named a “Genius Fellow” by Africa Leadership Initiative – West Africa (ALIWA), an honour bestowed upon only 20 people worldwide.

He was appointed to a new 16-member International Commission by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as part of UNESCO’s Futures of Education initiative. He is also a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honour society.


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