Remarks by Patrick Awuah, Founder and President
Saturday, August 2011
Your Excellency, Vice President John Mahama
Odeefoo Oteng Korankyi II
Your Excellency, Ambassador Donald Teitelbaum, United States Ambassador to Ghana
Your Excellency, Mr. Peter Jones, British High Commissioner to Ghana
Your Excellencies, members of the diplomatic corps
Honourable Minister of Education
Honourable Ministers and Members of Parliament
Nananom
Trustees and Directors of Ashesi University College
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
Members of the Ashesi Community
Welcome to the inauguration of Ashesi’s permanent campus. Thank you for joining us to celebrate this very important milestone in Ashesi’s history. This day has been a long time coming. It marks the culmination of over ten years of dreaming, planning, fundraising, and construction, and it marks the beginning of a new era for Ashesi University College.
On this glorious Berekuso morning, I would like to share with you a brief story of how this beautiful campus was built and what we aspire to become in the years ahead. Ashesi’s story is a narrative about the capabilities of young people and of Africans. It is the story of a group of people who dared to imagine a brighter future for Africa and for the world. It is the story of a tribe –not based on ethnicity or geographical origin, but on values and purpose– a tribe that is daring to act in a manner that contributes towards an African renaissance.
We are driven by a mission to educate future leaders who will make it their life’s work to transform the African continent, and humanity with it. We are driven by a faith in the ability of young people to shape the course of human history. We are driven by the knowledge that Africa’s problems can be solved by inspired and enlightened Africans.
The campus that we dedicate this morning was designed by Ghanaian architects, building on the conceptual designs of architecture students at UC Berkeley. The campus we celebrate today was constructed by Ghanaian engineers. This is the work of young people. This is the work of Africans.
Judging from the comments of those who have toured these gardens and buildings over the last few weeks, it is fair to say that this campus gives physical form to the vision that Ashesi represents. Many have come to realize for the first time, the full extent of Ashesi’s vision. They see here an institution that aims to be among the best in the world. They see Africa and excellence and beauty, in the same sentence.
When I first spoke with the architects about designing this campus, I did not speak first about how many classrooms or offices we needed. I spoke first about our vision of an African renaissance. I spoke not about mere buildings, but about creating a place where Africa’s future leaders would come to be nurtured and inspired. And I spoke about creating spaces that supported Ashesi’s driving principles of scholarship and leadership and citizenship.
Our aim was to create a campus that would invite students and faculty and administrators to gather and share ideas, to create a place that embraced everyone including those living with disabilities. Our aim was to create a physical form that was African at its core, that was environmentally friendly, and that connected Ashesi to the world. So it is that our architects and engineers created buildings that are inspired by the architectural traditions of southern and northern Ghana; that are appropriate for the climate in which they function; that marry tradition with 21st century technology; that use local materials and are clad in stone as old as the ground on which they sit.
This campus was funded by our friends in the United States and Ghana, and by faculty, administrators and alumni who elected to contribute financially to make our dream real. The donor wall of this campus is a testament to the power of collective action. The quality of this campus is the work of a team that is inspired by a vision. We have poured our hearts and our intellect into this project. It shows.
As our name –Ashesi– implies, each day marks a new beginning for the members of this university. Today is no different. Our relocation to Berekuso marks a new beginning. Odeefoo Oteng Korankyi, I look forward to a deep engagement with the Berekuso community. I look forward to a partnership in which we pair our intellectual capital with your vision to make Berekuso a model for development. I look forward to working with the basic schools and the families of Berekuso to enable our children to score 100% distinction in the BECE. And I look forward to welcoming the children of Berekuso to Ashesi University College. I would also like to offer a hand of partnership, to convene a gathering of all the land owners in this area, so that we may share ideas and come to a collective vision of how this land might be developed in an environmental friendly way, and in a manner that benefits the people of Berekuso.
In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” To our generous donors and supporters, thank you for dreaming with me, for conceptualizing, funding, and building this campus. I look forward to a bright future as this dream continues to grow and evolve, and as we educate leaders who will make a significant contribution to the future of Africa and the global community as a whole.
Thank you and God bless.