Ensign Global College is expanding its emphasis on entrepreneurship as it marks its 10th anniversary as a private institution of higher education in Ghana. The college was founded to bring the highest global standard of education to Africa. During its first decade, the college has focused on programming in public health, including being the first and only institution on the African continent to receive the globally prestigious Council on Education for Public Health accreditation for its Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. Although not traditionally emphasized in the field of public health, a conscious decision was made to integrate entrepreneurship throughout the Ensign Global College academic programming. To solidify this emphasis, entrepreneurship was added to leadership and professionalism as the fundamental institutional themes.
Ensign Global College is now furthering its commitment to entrepreneurship through new and expanding programming. Professor Agyeman Akosa, founding board member of Ensign Global College provided thoughts on this expansion: “Ensign Global College, with a truly global academic reach, provides the much-needed critical thought processes that are essential in creativity and innovation; both bedrocks of entrepreneurship. You are infinitely better prepared if you’ve been through the College.”
In November 2023 the college inaugurated the newly completed Center for Leadership, Innovation, and Prosperity (CLIP) to house programs and activities designed to foster entrepreneurial approaches that lead to greater socioeconomic well-being. Through this center, Ensign Global College has partnered with the University of Utah to facilitate the launch of their highly innovative Master of Business Creation: Africa. This degree program is a specially designed academic program that serves as an accelerator for early-stage business founders to help them effectively develop and scale their business while earning an academic degree. The University of Utah’s entrepreneurship program is ranked 8th in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report. The Ensign Global College Center for Medical Innovation is also under development, with the CLIP building housing its central team, a state-of-the-art prototyping laboratory, and team workspace.
Togbe Afede XIV, Ensign Global College founding board member, stated: “As Ghana, and the other countries of Africa, take steps to maximize the rate of economic development to enhance living standards and ensure the happiness of her citizens, the important role of the private sector, of entrepreneurs and of individual initiative cannot be overemphasized. This is why I am proud of Ensign Global’s commitment to equipping its students with the relevant leadership and entrepreneurial skills that will make them the agents of change that the continent desperately needs.”
The Center for Leadership, Innovation, and Prosperity Building – Ensign Global College
Ensign Global College is seeking to expand its partnerships to increase impact on building entrepreneurship capacity in Ghana and throughout Africa. Recently at United Nations General Assembly week in New York City, Senior Advisor Ms. Gabrielle Gay and President Stephen Alder of Ensign Global College met with Tony Elumelu CFR, UBA and Tony Elumelu Foundation Chairman, to explore ways to support and expand the transformative impact of entrepreneurs throughout the African continent. The Tony Elumelu Foundation is a leading organization dedicated to empowering a new generation of African Entrepreneurs. While in New York, Ms. Gay and President Alder attended the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the United Bank of Africa. At the celebration they were introduced to President Akufo-Addo by Chairman Elumelu. President Akufo-Addo has recently called for creating better ecosystems that enables success among entrepreneurs. Ensign Global College is committed to contributing to greater entrepreneurial capacity in Ghana, across Africa, and around the world.
President Stephen Alder, President Nana Akufo-Addo, Ms. Gabrielle Gay, Mr. Tony Elumelu at the 75th Anniversary Celebration for the United Bank of Africa on September 24, 2024, in New York City
According to President Alder, supporting greater entrepreneurial capacity is fundamental to why Ensign Global College was established. He states, “From the very beginning, entrepreneurship has been at the forefront of why we exist. Our founders and benefactors, Dr. Lynette and Elder Robert Gay, have directed that Ensign Global College is to relentlessly seek better ways to use available resources to have a positive impact on the lives of people, their families, their communities, and the world. We have gladly accepted this charge and are pleased to be responding in substantial ways with much more to come.”