Patrick Awuah Jr. (born 1965) is a
Ghanaian
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
engineer, educator, and entrepreneur. Awuah established
Ashesi University
Ashesi University ( ) is a private, non-profit university located in Accra, Ghana. The mission of Ashesi University is to educate ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within students the critical thinking skills, the concer ...
in 2002.
Awuah has won many awards as an individual and as the founder of
Ashesi University
Ashesi University ( ) is a private, non-profit university located in Accra, Ghana. The mission of Ashesi University is to educate ethical, entrepreneurial leaders in Africa; to cultivate within students the critical thinking skills, the concer ...
.
Life
Awuah grew up in
Accra,
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
. He attended the
Achimota School where he was a house prefect. He moved to the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in 1985 to attend
Swarthmore College with a full scholarship. He earned bachelor's degrees in Engineering and Economics, graduating in 1989. Following graduation, Awuah worked as a software engineer and program manager for Microsoft from 1989 to 1997. At Microsoft, he met his future wife, software testing engineer Rebecca Awuah.
In 1997, Awuah left
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...
with the goal of returning to
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
to educate the next generation of African leaders. He enrolled at the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley, UC Berkeley, focusing his work on preparing a business plan for Ashesi. Awuah, Nina Marini, and other graduate students from Berkeley went to Ghana to do a feasibility study for opening a private university there. Awuah graduated with his MBA in 1999. That same year, he moved back to Ghana with his family to found Ashesi University.
Awuah continues to serve as the president of Ashesi University.
Achievements and awards
John Kufuor presented Awuah the Order of the Volta Award to recognise his contribution to tertiary education in Ghana in 2007.
In 2009, Awuah won the John P. McNulty Prize. In 2010, Awuah was awarded 87th most creative business person by Fast Company. In 2014, he received The Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award, which honours UC Berkeley alumni with distinguished records of service to their native country. In the same year he was named best social entrepreneur by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
In 2015, Awuah was listed by Fortune (magazine), Fortune as number 40 in world's 50 greatest leaders
and was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
In 2017, Awuah was awarded the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) prize, a major global education award.
See also
*List of Ghanaians- Academia and educators
References
External links
Fellow Profile: Patrick Awuah Aspen Global Leadership Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awuah, Patrick
Living people
People from Accra
Microsoft employees
Ghanaian educators
MacArthur Fellows
University and college founders
1965 births
Swarthmore College alumni
Haas School of Business alumni
Fante people
Alumni of Achimota School
Ashesi University