Ghana is one of the fastest growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, and one of its emerging international markets is higher education.
In 1999, only two private universities existed in Ghana. Now the country’s National Accreditation Board lists 43 private institutions offering degree programs, and most are Ghanaian-owned.
Webster University could be one of the few foreign institutions added to that list, if the university receives approval from the U.S. Higher Learning Commission in Chicago. Recently, Webster earned its accreditation from the Ghana’s Ministry of Education to open a campus in the country’s capital, Accra. Tom Oates, campus director, expects the university to open in January, pending the commission’s approval.
Webster already has campuses in Europe and Asia, but the Accra location would be its first campus in Africa.
“It had been since the 1990s that Webster looked to set up another residential campus,” said Webster University Chancellor Elizabeth Stroble. “As I came on board in 2009, we were all engaged in the conversation to say, ‘If you want to be a truly global university, which we pride ourselves on, Europe and Asia are important, but they are not all of the globe.’”
Stroble said that many of the universities in Ghana have waiting lists for students, and the campus’ focus population will be Ghanaian students. University admission for students in Ghana is highly competitive, according to the U.S. Embassy of Ghana.
For example, at the public University of Ghana, 22,865 students applied for admissions in 2008, but 8,774 students were finally enrolled.
“Ghana is a country with intense interest in education,” Oates said. “There are more than 100 private high schools. They are solid students with a strong sense of rigor.”
In the early 1990s, the country set out to attract more private universities to help meet the country’s growing demand for higher education. In 1993, the country established an accreditation structure for private universities, and all universities were declared tax-exempt.
However, in July government leaders decided to do away with the tax exemptions for private universities, creating a controversy among both university owners and students. The Conference of Heads of Private Universities of Ghana released a statement that explained that the decision was unfair for the 26 percent of Ghana’s college students who attend private institutions and called for “immediate restoration of the tax exemption.”
Stroble said university leaders are aware of the situation.
“It is a dynamic situation, one that requires more information from officials in Ghana, and it is something that we are closely monitoring,” Stroble said. “We are still committed to the new campus in Ghana and look forward to our grand opening in Accra.”
Webster University partnered with Wadi Degla Holding Company, based in Cairo, Egypt, to acquire the location for the new campus and help in its reconstruction. In January, Oates relocated to Accra to get the campus up and running. Oates teamed up with his executive assistant Victoria Adeborna, a native Ghanaian who earned her MBA at Webster, to get the programs started.
The first graduate program will be a Master of Business Administration, and undergraduate programs include international business, international relations, and media communications.
The campus will also eventually provide an opportunity for U.S. students to study at Webster University in Ghana. Stroble said she’s spoken with some African-American students who feel that this will be a tremendous opportunity.
“In St. Louis, it’s very important for our African-American students to feel that their present reality as well as their heritage is a part of what makes Webster who it is,” she said.
“I think starting a campus in Africa makes that very tangible and real. It’s more than lip service. It’s a real commitment to say that ‘your history, your heritage and the growing importance of Africa in the world economy and world environment is where Webster needs to be.’”
