Statement by Acting Administrator Alfonso E. Lenhardt on 2015 MacArthur Fellow Patrick Awuah

I am thrilled the MacArthur Foundation has honored Patrick Awuah as a 2015 MacArthur Fellow. As the founder and President of Ashesi University, one of Africa's top institutions of higher learning, Patrick is helping to empower the next generation of Ghana's leaders.

We are proud to support Ashesi University through USAID's American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA) program, which promotes innovation and entrepreneurship in schools, libraries, and medical centers around the world. Ashesi University is a long-time partner to ASHA, which recently helped support construction of the school's new engineering program.

We are also honored to have Patrick serve as a member of USAID's public advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid.

I congratulate Patrick on this well-deserved honor, and look forward to continuing to work in partnership with Ashesi University and educational institutions across the globe to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies around the world.