Patrick Awuah Jr.

Patrick Awuah Jr. (born 1965) is a Ghanaian engineer, educator, and entrepreneur. Awuah established Ashesi University in 2002.[1] Awuah has won many awards as an individual and as the founder of Ashesi University.[2][3][4][5][6]

Patrick Awuah Jr.
Born1965
NationalityGhanaian
CitizenshipGhana
Alma materAchimota School
UC Berkeley,
Swarthmore College
Known forAshesi University
Spouse(s)Rebecca Awuah
AwardsMacArthur fellowship

Life

Awuah grew up in Accra, Ghana. He attended the Achimota School[7][8] where he was a house prefect. He moved to the U.S. in 1985 to attend Swarthmore College with a full scholarship. He earned bachelor's degrees in Engineering and Economics, graduating in 1989. Following graduation, Awuah worked as a software engineer and program manager for Microsoft from 1989 to 1997. At Microsoft, he met his future wife, software testing engineer Rebecca Awuah.[9]

In 1997, Awuah left Microsoft with the goal of returning to Ghana to educate the next generation of African leaders.[10][11] He enrolled at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, focusing his work on preparing a business plan for Ashesi. Awuah, Nina Marini, and other graduate students from Berkeley went to Ghana to do a feasibility study for opening a private university there. Awuah graduated with his MBA in 1999. That same year, he moved back to Ghana with his family to found Ashesi University.[1][12][13][14] Awuah continues to serve as the president of Ashesi University.[15]

Achievements and awards

John Kufuor presented Awuah the Order of the Volta Award to recognise his contribution to tertiary education in Ghana in 2007.[2] In 2009, Awuah won the John P. McNulty Prize.[16] In 2010, Awuah was awarded 87th most creative business person by Fast Company.[17] In 2014, he received The Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award, which honours UC Berkeley alumni with distinguished records of service to their native country.[18] In the same year he was named best social entrepreneur by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.[19] In 2015, Awuah was listed by Fortune as number 40 in world's 50 greatest leaders[4] and was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.[5] In 2017, Awuah was awarded the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) prize, a major global education award.[6]

See also

References
External video
Education Entrepreneur Patrick Awuah, 2015 MacArthur Fellow, 3:35, MacArthur Foundation[20]
Patrick Awuah: How to educate leaders? Liberal arts, 17:26, TED Talks[14]
  1. "History :Ashesi University Foundation". ashesi.org. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  2. "Order of the Volta award". Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  3. "Creating the next generation of ethical leaders in West Africa". McNulty Foundation. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  4. "Worlds 50 greatest leaders".
  5. "MacArthur Fellowship 2015".
  6. "Ashesi University founder wins education award". Graphic Online. 15 Nov 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  7. Ofori-Mensah. "22 Successful Ghanaians Who Went To Achimota School". OMGVoice. Archived from the original on 2017-03-30. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  8. Awuah, Patrick. "Achimota School @ 80" (PDF). Ashesi University Archives. Ashesi University. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  9. Maguire, Ken (January 2010). "A New Model of Leadership for Africa". Swarthmore College Bulletin.
  10. "Building a University, and Hope, in Ghana". Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  11. "Setting Up Ghana's First Liberal Arts College Makes Him A 'Genius'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
  12. "List: MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant' recipients, 2015". San Diego Mercury News. Associated Press. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  13. Carpenter, John. "3 Chicagoans among class of MacArthur 'geniuses'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  14. "Patrick Awuah: How to educate leaders? Liberal arts". TED Talks. 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  15. "Governance & Leadership". Ashesi University. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  16. "2009 John P. McNulty Prize Finalists". Archive.org. 25 June 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  17. "Patrick Awuah named amongst 100 most creative people in business". Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  18. "Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award".
  19. "Ashesi at a glance".
  20. "Patrick Awuah". MacArthur Foundation. September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
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