Ashesi University

It was December 2007 and Patrick Awuah, founder and president of Ashesi University, began updating his school’s business plan. He looked back on the university’s short history with pride—in only 10 years Awuah and his team had turned a lofty vision into reality. Ashesi had become one of the most respected educational institutions in Ghana, with about 100 top-notch students enrolling in its liberal arts program each year. But many challenges still lay ahead, not least of which was raising the $7.2 million needed to complete the first phase of construction for the permanent campus. There was the issue of academic dishonesty, which seemed to be on the rise at Ashesi and was directly at odds with the school’s mission. Awuah also wondered how much longer it would be until he felt ready to begin replicating the model in other parts of Africa, which had always been part of the long-term strategy.