On November 12, 2015, the Association of African Universities (AAU), in partnership with Ashesi University, organized the celebrations for Africa University Day 2015 on Ashesi’s campus at Berekuso. This year’s celebrations was on the theme, “Internationalization of Higher Education.”
Students, staff and faculty from a number of universities in and around Ghana participated in the event. The day, chaired by Dr. Patrick Awuah, was marked with exhibitions from the various universities and a series of lectures from stakeholders in the education space.
"As members of the global knowledge economy, universities all over the world are increasingly being encouraged to internationalise or plug into the "world system" in order to reap the benefits of global interconnectedness and avoid the disadvantages of isolation," said Professor Etienne Ehile, General Secretary of AAU, "Operating in a global environment requires that higher educational institutions and especially those in Africa should go international in order to operate effectively."
[Professor Etienne Ehile delivering a lecture at the African University Day celebrations]
The keynote speaker of the day, Professor Clement K. Dzidonu reiterated the importance of internationalisation, "The internationalization of higher education permeates every aspect of today's higher education globally." he said, "The internationalisations of the institutions either directly or first through regionalization efforts, is not negotiable if Africa's higher educational institutions will remain viable, relevant and sustainable nationally, regionally and globally. "
The event closed off with an open forum, where attendees engaged with one another and the panel on internatiolisation in higher education.
About African University Day
Since 2000, the AAU Secretariat and the Vice Chancellors Ghana Secretariat (VCG), have jointly organized events to commemorate African University Day in Ghana. The African University Day celebrations aim to bring more awareness to the impact of higher education in Africa, promote dialogue on improvements and celebrate successes in African higher education.