In December, Ashesi University College was awarded the 2009 Africa Award (Tertiary Institutions) for best practices in education by Exam Ethics International. Exam Ethics international is a not-for-profit, non-partisan, social responsibility organization, dedicated to the cause of promoting best practices in education, examination ethics, campus safety and better performance of students in public examinations.

Ashesi University was the first University in Ghana to adopt an examination honor code. The code was voted into force by students in January 2008 and requires students to report any academic misconduct without a proctor. The adoption of the Examination Honour Code marks a significant step in the history of Ashesi University. The code is intended to build a high-trust community, to put students in charge of their ethical posture and the reputation of their alma mater, and by so doing, to take a significant step in Ashesi’s mission to educate a new generation of ethical leaders in Africa. Academic Honour codes are common among top universities in the United States, such as Swarthmore, Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale and Brown.

At an awards ceremony held at the Alisa Hotel, North Ridge, Dr. Patrick Awuah, President and Founder of Ashesi University, stated, “we at Ashesi are committed to turning out ethical leaders of industry and government. We encourage our students to be nothing but excellent and to demand it of their friends. Adopting the honour code has led to a healthy discussion among students about ethical practice and is helping them practice acting on the values that are at the core of Ashesi’s mission ”.

Exam Ethics International was founded in 1996 in Nigeria and has offices in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, the United States and the United Kingdom.