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SIPA Students Visit Ghana and Nigeria
In January 2008, 25 students from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) embarked on a study tour of Ghana and Nigeria. Tour coordinators Lincoln Ajoku (MIA ’08), Christabel Dadzie (MIA ’07), Chinonso Emehelu (MIA ’08) and Osa Iyayi-Kanu (MIA ’08) organized the trip that introduced students to the best of both countries by connecting them with political leaders, entrepreneurs, human rights advocates, CEOs, artists, and most importantly, their families and friends. Students were introduced to the legacy of Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, and his successful integration of different ethnic groups to unite Africa’s first democratic state. They also learned from Kofi Dadzie, an innovative Ghanaian entrepreneur, about the challenges of creating a healthy business climate through his experience establishing Rancard Solutions, an Accra based Information Technology (IT) firm. From discussions with This Day, a prominent Nigerian national newspaper, students realized the vital role a robust press corps plays in bolstering civil society. Nigeria’s governor of Lagos, HE Chief Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) and the minister for The Federal Capital, Abuja, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai both met with the group to speak about their work. The courageous Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Dora Akunyili, inspired students with her accomplishments in managing a transparent government agency, setting regulatory standards for clean drinking water, and battling the counterfeit pharmaceutical drug trade. The tour concluded when students received advice from Femi Kuti at his father’s shrine in Lagos. This journey across Ghana and Nigeria merged the puzzle pieces of economic, social, and political development, with the cultural and historical contexts of the region. For the SIPA participants, the interaction with these dynamic leaders, the orientation to a new region of the world, and the camaraderie between the students on the tour, were the highlight of their academic experience.