Ghanaian Scholar wins Top International Award

Nearly 7 days to the birthday of Ghana’s independence anniversary, a young Ghanaian scholar has delivered yet another victory for Ghana. Mr. John Ahwere-Bafo, a doctoral student at Royal Holloway University of London (UK) last Tuesday 27 February 2007 became the first African to win the Shaikh Zayed Prize for the most outstanding paper at an international student conference: “Education without Borders” (www.ewb2007.com) at the Emirates Palace Hotel in the capital of United Arab Emirate (U.A.E), Abu Dhabi. Mr. John Ahwere-Bafo stole the victory from 35 other bright scholars from Harvard, Bocconi, Cambridge and top brains in the world. His award is the highest scholastic award in the country and was for the paper: “ICT 4 Development: An Empirical Investigation of Determinants of Information System Capability”.

Mr. John Ahwere-Bafo seems to have found the predictive function (recipe formula) for eradicating poverty through ICT-led economic growth. He conducted his research on Ghana in 2005 in 3 large private sector companies and 3 large public sector companies which led to 349 usable responses from end-users of computers. Mr. Ahwere-Bafo evaluated the impact of software technology transfer mode on IS capability (proxy to end-user computing skills) and debunked a popular myth that the mode of software technology transfer is important. Rather he concluded that what matter are knowledge sharing (organisational learning), IT training, end-user involvement, leadership style & management support, plus software experience and level of education in that order.

The wider implications of Mr Ahwere-Bafo’s research is that forums like ‘Education without Borders’ a biennial international conference which seeks innovative ways of finding solutions to poverty (under-development) through the effective application of technology, education and sustainability are more beneficial to developing countries than philanthropy. This view of ‘failure of aid’ to help poverty alleviation was echoed by the 2006 Nobel winner for Peace Prof. Muhammed Yunus (also of Micro Credit Pioneer fame) when he delivered his emotional keynote address at the same conference. Other implications of Mr. Bafo’s research for developing countries are need to increased IT training, ensuring quality education, pursuance of democratic values which is mimicked by the level of corporate governance and employee participation, increased government role in the transfer of technology rather than leaving it to only developing partners and the private sector (tax breaks on IT products alone is not sufficient) and governments must support local software developers by using their services.

For his prize which was presented by Placido Domingo (World Renowned Opera Singer) and HRH Shaikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan (Minister of Higher Education), Mr. John Ahwere-Bafo received a brand new lap top computer, a trophy with the inscription “Most Outstanding Paper”, an Iacocca Institute Scholarship for 2007 summer Global Village Leadership program for business leaders and entrepreneurs, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (USA) and becomes a global ambassador for peace and eradication of poverty. The Iacocca Institute Leadership program would see Mr Ahwere-Bafo visit the UN and Washington DC on a study tour.

Prior to the award Mr. Bafo was whisked away on a two hour high profiled meeting with Prince Charles (Prince of Wales), HRH Shaikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan (Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research) and HRH General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces). At the meeting with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, Mr. Ahwere-Bafo thanked HRH for such a wonderful exposure and encouraged the people of Abu Dhabi to continue to sponsor the ‘Education without Borders’ programme because in his view “foot soldiers for poverty eradication” were being turned out from the over 2000 student delegates. Present at the meeting was Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini (1986 Nobel Laureate for Medicine), Prof. Svante Lindqvist (The Director of Nobel [Prize] Museum), Dr. Shashi Tharoor (UN Under-Sec for Communications and Public Information), Placido Domingo (World Renowned Award winning Opera singer), Dr. Edward Guiliano (President of New York Institute of Technology), Prof. Jeanette Hacket (Vice Chancellor, Curtin University of Technology in Australia, deliverers of Virtual University programme in Africa), Prof. Neil Gorman (Vice Chancellor of Nottingham Trent University in the UK), Mr. Shiraz Gidwani (Director-General, UN Simulation Mission Youth Development Programme World Summit) and Ms. Amanda Butcher (CEO of Jubilee Sailing Trust).

Mr. John Ahwere-Bafo who attended the programme with two other Ghanaians, Ms. Shirley Somuah of Stanford (USA) and Mr. Emmanuel Nana Ansah (Japan) (these other Ghanaians had won their places at the conference from earlier appearances and had become members of the Global Organising Committees), promised to help source for funding to enable more Africans who qualify for the programme to afford air ticket for the event. The next “Education without Borders” conference is scheduled for 2009.