Indiana University opens 'gateway' office in Accra, Ghana's capital

Indiana University has opened a new “Global Gateway” office in Accra, Ghana, making it the first public university in the U.S. to open an office of its kind in the continent of Africa.

“At Indiana University, we have ambitious goals for faculty to pursue transformational research with partners around the globe and for our students to have extraordinary educational experiences abroad,” IU President Pamela Whitten said in a press release. “The IU Ghana Gateway formalizes decades of IU engagement in the region and places us at the center of the world's fastest-emerging economic hub.”

The new office in Ghana is IU’s sixth “Global Gateway,” a network of physical spaces across the globe that exist to foster relationships between IU and governments, universities, NGOs and businesses from different countries and regions. IU also has "gateways" in Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Mexico City and New Delhi.

A press release for the office, which was launched at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Ghana on May 20, said the gateway was “designed to strengthen and broaden IU’s global engagement across world regions” as the continent rapidly grows in population and economic stature.

Ghana, located in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, is the continent’s 13th-largest country by population and has the 11th-largest gross domestic product (GDP). Accra is the nation's capital.

Samuel Obeng, a distinguished professor of linguistics at IU, will serve as the Ghana office’s academic director. 

“Under Obeng's leadership, the IU Ghana Gateway will expand relationships with universities and organizations in Ghana, as well as leverage the university's several existing partnerships on the continent, such as the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare partnership in Kenya,” the press release read.

IU opened its first gateway office in New Delhi, India, in February 2013, and opened its Beijing office in May 2014. The gateway offices serve as centers for international research projects, student opportunities and partnerships with universities.

With the opening of its Accra office, IU now claims to have the most “international gateways” of any public universities in the U.S.

Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com. Follow him on Twitter/X at@brianwritesnews.