Image of Patrick Awuah, Founder and President, Ashesi University addressing participants in the Ashesi MBA for a day masterclass.
I had the privilege of joining Ashesi University at its beautiful campus in Berekuso in the Eastern Region, about an hour drive from Ghana’s capital, as part of activities to outdoor its Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programme to Ghanaians. It was a Saturday captivated with breathtaking beauty of the university’s hilltop campus surrounded by nature and modern architecture overlooking the Accra plains. I must commend the Ashesi MBA team for the flawless curation of this experience starting from how the bus ride up the hill was coordinated to near perfection, the masterclass sessions and of course the refreshment of participants who were drawn from diverse backgrounds for a day of experiential learning from the faculty and the MBA team. We arrived at the Berekuso campus a little behind schedule owing to the deplorable road condition between Kwabenya in Greater Accra and Ashesi University; the unpaved rocky terrain of the Berekuso road makes drivers want to slow down in order for their vehicles to safely navigate the hill to the top where the university’s campus sits. For the uninitiated, that road can leave you stranded even in a 4×4 with a v8 engine. Ashesi managed to build a bitumen surface road from the street leading to the campus what is however left is for the state to finish what it started with the construction of the road through Berekuso township to Kitase to aid residents, students and faculty of the university in their movement.
People have several reasons for pursuing an MBA programme ranging from an aspiration in career progression to simply acquiring a certification for when the next job opportunity would present itself. In Ghana, access to tertiary education has seen an impressive growth overtime with the majority students pursuing a first degree or Bachelor’s, only 6% are able to continue to do a postgraduate degree in various programmes including MBA. The Ashesi MBA programme, though, offers a unique educational experience based on the university’s founding ethos of ethical leadership and critical citizenship. It is a 2-year programme that prepares entrepreneurial leaders who can build and scale businesses in Africa.
Attending that MBA information session at Ashesi last weekend provided insight into the academic culture in a university that encourages students to take initiatives and add value in whatever task they have been assigned to — leave an indelible mark in the community they have found themselves. One quote that stuck with me throughout the session was, “it’s not enough to work hard, it’s the value addition that matters.” The Ashesi MBA for a day session offered a masterclass on branding and brand extension which was facilitated by Noel Hayden, a Clinical Associate Professor of the Gles College of Business at University of Illinois. The engaging 45 minutes lecture also touched on brand equity; elements of brand equity with real world examples. We were encouraged to use the ‘FLO’ framework of assessing brands as MBA students as it demonstrates a deep appreciation of the area in marketing and sets us apart from others. FLO which is an acronym for Fit-Leverage-Opportunity is used to test ideas as to whether or not a brand can pivot into other ventures under its known name and still have commercial success. Noel’s masterclass was followed by a fireside chat with some industry personalities. Ebenezer Asante, Senior Vice President Markets at MTN Group, continued on the tangent of brand extension using his institution as a case study. According to him, what a brand means for an institution and what it means for its customers is very important. Brands that are treated well by both stakeholders live forever to accomplish many great things in society.
The Ashesi MBA curriculum combines real world case studies with practical application from seasoned industry personalities. The programme is rigorous that students cannot miss 9 sessions out of the total number required to take the final examinations but offers flexibility bearing in mind the work-life balance of professionals that will be accepted into the programme. The flexibility is such that during the week, students can continue with their day-to-day work and prepare for case discussions in the evenings. Then on Friday evenings, students meet online for lighthearted discussions ahead of immersive in-person classes over the weekend on campus.
The 2-year MBA is divided into four blocks with a final year capstone project that students must complete. Also, in the final year, students will be required to choose two electives as part of the courses in the fourth block; two electives, one capstone and the three courses make up a total of six courses in the fourth block. The elective courses of which two will be chosen by the student are as follows; entrepreneurial leadership, innovation for business sustainability, technology strategy, decision intelligence and financial technology.
Selection into the Ashesi MBA programme is very competitive and opened to everybody including creatives, civil servants, NGO workers, entrepreneurs and corporate individuals among others. Admissions are open until July 31, 2025.