UST Ghana J-Term Study Abroad 2025

Our day started off very early with a 6:30am wake up and breakfast. We then boarded the bus for our first stop of the day, Zipline. Zipline is a drone medical delivery company that serves the Lake Volta region of Ghana. It delivers potentially live saving medicine like snake anti-venom to rural communities. Zipline also works with the government to help fill quotas for hospitals in their area. For many, the highlight of this visit was seeing the inventory area, watching the workers pack a box for delivery and then launching the drone into the air. Zipline operates six total distribution hubs in Ghana and has completed more than half a million lifetime deliveries since its founding in 2019. Next, we made our way up to Lake Volta, the second largest man-made lake in the world. Our tour guide, Michael, talked a lot about Lake Volta's history, how it was started in 1965 with the construction of the Akosombo Dam. He also touched on recent issues - such as a 2023 controlled spillage resu...

Today, we started our morning at SIT with breakfast and a guest lecture by Prof. Fidelis Quansah. She is an entrepreneur and a professor at the University of Professional Studies, Accra. She spoke to us about entrepreneurship in Ghana and how it serves as a catalyst for development. Entrepreneurship is the backbone of the Ghanaian economy, with micro, small, and medium-sized businesses making up 70% of the country's GDP. Key sectors for innovation in Ghana include agriculture, mining, and services, all of which drive economic growth. Entrepreneurship is essential for combating unemployment because it creates much needed jobs and allows people to establish their own enterprises to support themselves. Prof. Quansah also emphasized that marketing and communication are critical for a business to succeed—having a great product is not enough to stand out. Next, we had a lesson with Akwasi to learn Twi (pronounced like "tree"), one of Ghana’s regional languages. Ghana has a vibr...

Our day began bright and early at 8:30 with breakfast at the SIT site. The morning spread featured eggs, sausage, bread, and fresh papayas from the trees onsite, a perfect start to the day. After breakfast, we took some time to debrief about our previous day in Cape Coast before hopping on the bus for our first site visit of the day to the JACCD Design Institute of Africa. JACCD, the Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design, is Ghana’s top institution for creative education. It offers specialized programs in fashion design, graphic design, and entrepreneurship. Founded by Joyce Ababio, a renowned Ghanaian designer and educator, the college is known for its hands-on approach that helps students build the skills they need to succeed in the creative world. JACCD has been instrumental in shaping the future of creative professionals in Ghana and even beyond. At JACCD, we met Akosua, who gave us a tour of the facility. From the moment we stepped into the classrooms and workspaces, the sense...

Today started with breakfast at the hotel in Cape Coast surrounded by kittens that live there. The first stop of the day was the Java Museum in Elmina, a town right next to Cape Coast. In the museum we learned about over 3000 African men who signed up to be soldiers for the Dutch in Indonesia between 1831 and 1872 who were referred to as the black Dutchmen. These men were recruited because the Dutch believed people living in Ghana could handle tropical climates better than other Dutch soldiers. However, when the Dutch tried to recruit members Asante tribe they wouldn’t go to fight for a king other than their own, but some of their POW’s purchased freedom through a loan from the Dutch and went to fight in Java, Indonesia. It was interesting to learn about how soldiers integrated into Indonesians and then the stories of various men who came back to West Africa or went to the Netherlands after their service. The museum also taught us about the Indonesian origin of different fabrics that s...

Hi everyone!  We woke up bright and early for a quick breakfast, said goodbye to Kumasi, and got on the road at 7:30. We headed toward Cape Coast where we stopped at the Kakum National Park and the Cape Coast Castle.  After a long bus journey - the drive took about 7 hours and included four stops, all with their own unique restrooms - we arrived at the Kakum National Park. The park itself was beautiful, as we were surrounded by nature with many different types of trees. The park encompasses 145 square miles and the4 elevation ranges from 443 to 820 feet. We hiked up some rocky steps for about 20 minutes before we got to the bridges, originally built in 1995; this year the park celebrates its 30th anniversary. There were eight bridges in total, with the highest being 131 feet above the ground. As we traversed across the bridges in small groups, we looked down at our feet as the rope and wooden bridge swayed. The view of a very green, luscious rainforest floor was stunning....

  Hello everyone!!   We are over half way through our trip! After a great breakfast we started our second Tuesday with a visit to the Manhyia palace, formerly the home of many of the Asantehennes (Kings) of the Ashanti region. Here we learned more about the Ashanti region's culture and history including many battles with Britain, the roles of the people involved in the processions of the Asantehenne, and the roles of the King and Queen in the community. We also got to see 32 pieces of Ashanti gold that are currently on loan from Britain in the museum - only a small fraction of the thousands of items the British raided and still have in their possession.   Enroute to the Kejeti Market, we had a quick introduction on the bus to the meanings of our Ghanaian names. In Ghana, each day of the week has both a male and female name that Ghanaians call each other based on what day of the week they were born. (My name is Abena Katie because I was born on a Tuesday). Upon arrival at ...