DASNR
International
Student of the Week
Home Country:
Ghana
Ghana: The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire ( Ivory Coast) to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. The word "Ghana" means "Warrior King",[6] and was the source of the name " Guinea" (via French Guinoye) that is used to refer to the West African coast (as in Gulf of Guinea).
Ghana was inhabited in pre-colonial times by a number of ancient kingdoms. Trade with European states flourished after contact with the Portuguese in the 15th century, and the British established a crown colony, Gold Coast, in 1874.
Upon being the first African nation to achieve independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation to reflect the ancient Empire of Ghana that once extended throughout much of western Africa. In the Ashanti language it is spelled Gaana.
Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains somewhat dependent on international financial and technical assistance as well as the activities of the extensive Ghanaian diaspora. Gold, timber, cocoa, diamond, bauxite, and manganese exports are major sources of foreign exchange. An oilfield which is reported to contain up to 3 billion barrels (480,000,000 m3) of light oil was discovered in 2007. Oil exploration is ongoing and, the amount of oil continues to increase.
The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 50% of GDP and employs 85% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Ghana made progress under a three-year structural adjustment program in cooperation with the IMF. On the negative side, public sector wage increases and regional peacekeeping commitments have led to continued inflationary deficit financing, depreciation of the Cedi, and rising public discontent with Ghana's austerity measures. Even so, Ghana remains one of the more economically sound countries in all of Africa.
More than 250 languages and dialects are spoken in Ghana. English is the country's official language and predominates government and business affairs. It is also the standard language used for educational instruction. Source: Wikipedia
Above: University of Cape Coast
Kwame Acheampong
November 3, 2008
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From the Department of Agricultural Economics...
This week’s international student of the week is Kwame Acheampong (above). He is a Master's degree student in the Department of Agricultural Economics. Kwame is from Kumawu-Besoro, a city in the Ashanti Region of Ghana; he speaks English and Twi (one of the 250 languages and dialects spoken in Ghana).
Above: Kwame on the day he started college in Ghana Kwame is member of the Youth in Action Organization. He obtained his B.S. in Agricultural Science at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Currently he is doing work with stored grain; he has not yet decided his research topic, he is doing lots of readings on the economics of grain storage. Along with his educational activities Kwame spends his free time reading, watching movies, and listening to music.
Above: Kwame visiting New York City He came to the United States to get a postgraduate education, aND ONE OF his friends introduced OSU to Kwame, and so he applied to the Agricultural Economics Department. He wants to become a professor.
Above: Two of Kwame's three sisters. Kwame is the second born child in a family of six children. He has two brothers and three younger sisters. All of the Acheampong children are taking education as a key to success.
Above: Kwame and his wife
Above: Kwame and his wife Advisor: Dr. Brian D. Adam To students: “You should always comport yourselves and be circumspect in all your dealings and focused much on your education so that you will be able to make a difference in your society.”
Above: Kwame in Manhattan Interview by Sandra Rodriguez
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