On Saturday, 30th June 2012, Ashesi celebrated its 8th graduating class at a short ceremony held at the Burma Camp Hall in Accra. Over 1,000 family, friends, students and alumni joined the Class of 2012 to celebrate their four years at Ashesi, and welcome them to the Ashesi alumni community. Kwaku Sintim-Misa, CEO of Sapphire Ghana Limited, was guest speaker at this year’s graduation.
In his address, Guest Speaker Kwaku Sintim-Misa (KSM) told the Class of 2012 that it had been difficult for him to prepare a graduation speech for commencement. “I was not ready; I was struggling with what to say,” he confessed. “You are Ashesi graduates. I would have loved to talk to you about striving for excellence. I would have loved to tell you to redefine the standards. I would have loved to tell you to shun mediocrity. But there is no point preaching to the converted.”
Reading from the opening lines of “A Tale of Two Cities”, KSM argued that “it is the best of times, and the worst of times” for the Class of 2012 and for Ghana. “On one hand it is the best of times for Ghana, an emerging middle income nation. […] Strangely, it is also the worst of times for a country polarized by infantile partisan politics. With this in mind, this is what I have to tell you Ashesi graduates: Ghana needs you.”
KSM went on to share a poem he wrote for the class, titled "I am impressed" - a humorous piece that highlighted the world into which the Class of 2012 was headed. "In my time cocoa was Ghana’s biggest export," KSM read. "In your time it is 'azonto'. I am impressed.”