Naysayers almost killed Ashesi dream – Patrick Awuah

The founder of Ashesi University, Patrick Awuah, has argued that excellence can be achieved even in the midst of negativity.

Awuah said he had faced some challenges starting the University and have had to endure comments from naysayers who all came from his home country, Ghana.

“I remember when I was leaving Microsoft and told them I was coming to set up a university in Ghana, nobody there told me it was a crazy idea. Most of them said it was a great idea, go for it... let us know what we can do to help.

“And in Ghana we had a lot of support though. We also had a lot of support. I remember when we were having our feasibility studies in high schools and all, most headmasters and headmistresses were extremely helpful. There were a lot of people who felt what we were seeking to do was great.

“But then all the naysayers I heard along the way were from Ghana and not in United States,” he told Bola Ray on Starr Chat Wednesday.

Ashesi, a private, non-profit University located in Ghana, West Africa, was established to “educate a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders in Africa”.

Awuah said his dream for a University of that capacity occurred to him when he had his first child and thought that his little one being African, it was only fair that he associated himself with a continent that was filled with possibilities and he was ready to help build that Africa for him.

Awuah had spent over 15 years living and working in the United States of America and before founding Ashesi University, he worked as a Programme Manager for Microsoft.

According to records, he spearheaded the development of dial-up internet working technologies and gained a reputation for bringing difficult projects to completion at the Bill Gates founded company.

The University offers a four-year bachelors programme grounded in a liberal core curriculum, featuring majors in Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Ashesi is one word that means, "If there is anything you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."