2019 Graduation Keynote Speaker
Biography – Patrick G. Awuah Jr.
Founder & President, Ashesi University, Ghana
Patrick Awuah is the Founder and President of Ashesi University, a private, not-for-profit institution that has quickly gained a reputation as one of Ghana’s finest institutions of higher learning. Patrick left Ghana in 1985 when Swarthmore accepted him on a near-full scholarship. In 2001, after living in America for almost two decades, Patrick Awuah returned to Ghana.
Before founding Ashesi University, Patrick worked as a Program Manager for Microsoft where, among other things, he spearheaded the development of dial-up internet working technologies and gained a reputation for bringing difficult projects to completion.
He holds bachelor degrees in Engineering and Economics from Swarthmore College; an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business; and honorary doctorates from Swarthmore College, Babson College and University of Waterloo.
In recognition of his service to Ghana, Patrick was awarded Membership of the Order of the Volta by His Excellency, President J.A. Kufuor in July 2007. The Order of the Volta is one of Ghana’s highest awards, given to individuals who exemplify the ideal of service to the country.
He has won many prestigious international awards including the 2015 Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award for his work as a leader in Ghanaian education, an Elon Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership from Elon University and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and the MacArthur Fellowship and the McNulty Prize.
In 2015, Patrick was named one the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune Magazine. He has also twice been recognized by a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of Ghanaian CEOs as one of the ten most respected CEOs in Ghana. In December 2015, Patrick was recognized by Africa Leadership Initiative — West Africa (ALIWA) as a “Genius Fellow” an honour reserved for only 20 people around the world.
In November 2017, Patrick was named the 2017 World Innovation Summit in Education (WISE) Prize for Education Laureate by the Qatar Foundation, a recognition given to a distinguished group of individuals who share a passion for empowerment through education. The WISE Prize for Education is the first distinction of its kind to recognize an individual or a team of up to six people for an outstanding, world-class contribution to education.
He is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative of the Aspen Global Leadership Network; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; and a member of the Tau Beta Pi honor society for excellence in engineering.
Patrick Awuah is the Founder and President of Ashesi University, a private, not-for-profit institution that in Ghana. Patrick was educated at Swarthmore on a near-full scholarship in 1985. In 2001, Patrick who was a Program Manager at Microsoft returned to Ghana to found Ashesi University. He holds Bachelor degrees in Engineering and Economics from Swarthmore College; an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business; and honorary doctorates from Swarthmore College and Babson College. Patrick has won many awards including the Order of the Volta by His Excellency, President J.A. Kufuor, the Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award, an Elon Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the McNulty Prize and the MacArthur Fellowship and named one the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune Magazine. Patrick was recognized by Africa Leadership Initiative — West Africa (ALIWA) as a “Genius Fellow” an honour reserved for only 20 people around the world. The Qatar Foundation named Patrick the 2017 WISE Prize for Education Laureate. He is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; and a member of the Tau Beta Pi honor society for excellence in engineering.
Patrick Awuah is the Founder and President of Ashesi University, a private, not-for-profit institution that has quickly gained a reputation for innovation and quality undergraduate education in Ghana. Before founding Ashesi, Patrick worked as a Program Manager for Microsoft Corporation. Patrick is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and a member of USAID’s Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid. He has received the Millennium Excellence Award for Educational Development and was named a Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company magazine and the 4th Most Respected CEO in Ghana by a survey of his peers. In 2014, Patrick was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. He holds bachelor’s degrees in engineering and Economics from Swarthmore College and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Patrick Awuah is the Founder and President of Ashesi University, a private, not-for-profit institution that has quickly gained a reputation for innovation and quality undergraduate education in Ghana. Before founding Ashesi, Patrick worked as a Program Manager for Microsoft Corporation. He holds bachelor’s degrees in engineering and Economics from Swarthmore College; an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business; and honorary doctorates from Swarthmore College, Babson College and the University of Waterloo. Patrick has won many awards including the Order of the Volta by His Excellency, President J.A. Kufuor, the Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award, an Elon Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the McNulty Prize, the MacArthur Fellowship and named one the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune Magazine, a Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and Social Entrepreneur for 2014 by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Patrick was recognized by Africa Leadership Initiative — West Africa (ALIWA) as a “Genius Fellow” an honour reserved for only 20 people around the world. The Qatar Foundation named Patrick the 2017 WISE Prize for Education Laureate, the first distinction of its kind to recognize an individual or a team of up to six people for an outstanding, world-class contribution to education. He is a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; and the Tau Beta Pi honor society for excellence in engineering.
