Educate Ethical and Innovative Leaders for Africa

It is an exciting time on campus, as Ashesi celebrated our 15th Commencement this month! Nearly 2,000 guests celebrated alongside the 168 members of the Class of 2019.

It was a fitting tribute to the Class that brought the pioneering cohort of Engineering students. And despite the high expectations set for them, the Engineering Class of 2019 met and raised the bar:

• 91% of engineering students graduated in four years
• 22% received academic honors
• 33% are women, establishing a mentorship base for future women looking to study Engineering

For her capstone project, scholarship student Haddijatou Touré ’19 invented a device inspired by her own life experience. With Ghana’s unpredictable weather, she would often hang her laundry outside to dry only for subsequent rains to drench it. In an environment where most families cannot afford dryers, she wondered how others in her situation dried their laundry in unpredictable weather.

Haddijatou decided to design and build a low-cost electronic drying rack that, when it senses rain, extends a retractable, waterproof cover. Coming from the Gambia on a full scholarship to Ashesi, Haddijatou was intent on keeping the production cost of the rack prototype low, so as to make the final product affordable.

As graduates like Haddijatou step out into the world, they understand that expectations will continue to be high for them. We are confident that these pioneer graduates will enter the professional world representing Ashesi’s values and story in all that they do.