Ghana’s Patrick Awuah named MacArthur “Genius”

The MacArthur Foundation announced the 2015 MacArthur Fellows today, commonly known as the “genius grants,” including native Ghanaian Patrick Awuah.

Patrick and 23 other exceptionally creative Fellows will receive a no-strings-attached $625,000 grant for their cutting-edge work that is transforming their fields.

Patrick Awuah is an education entrepreneur creating a new model for higher education in Africa.

He founded Ashesi University in Accra, Ghana in 2002, with the goal of cultivating a generation of African leaders grounded in ethical leadership and with high critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Ashesi University combines a liberal arts education with practical skills training to cultivate the next generation of African leaders.

His goal is to stop the brain-drain of talent from Africa by helping students develop skills that African employers are seeking.