The University of Alabama in the USA and the University of Ghana-Legon (UG) have held discussions that will establish a broad academic partnership covering research collaboration, student exchange programmes, faculty mobility, summer programmes, among others.
The meeting took place on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at UG’s International Programmes Office on its campus in Accra.
The Dean of International Programmes, Prof Jemima Akosua Asabea Anderson, led the talks and said UG is ready to move forward with a structured partnership, expressing the university’s interest in long-term cooperation.
“We are prepared to work together on research, cultural exchanges, short-term study programmes and faculty development. We are committed to building partnerships that offer our students and faculty a global outlook,” Prof Anderson noted.
The Alabama team included representatives from Tuscaloosa Sister Cities International (TSCI), faculty members from the University of Alabama, and officials from the Tuscaloosa City Schools.
Executive Director of TCSI, Ms Shelley Dorrill, gave an overview of why Alabama sees Ghana, and UG specifically, as a strong partner.
"UG became a natural choice for a higher education partner because of earlier academic interactions. We got the opportunity to host a UG student who had her postgraduate studies in our school and we saw that there were opportunities for more collaboration between both universities and its good works,” she noted.
- The discussion was aimed at fostering relationships between the two universities
Ms Dorrill added the TCSI also had two sister cities in Ghana, thus Suyani and Techiman, as such, their connection to the country had been very deep and lasting.
She explained that over the years, they had organised community delegations and cultural programmes, and were now looking to expand into more structured academic activities involving both high schools and universities.
“We’re working on increasing student delegations that will come to Sunyani and Techiman, and hopefully one day, be able to also do exchanges so that students from Sunyani and Techiman can come to Tuscaloosa as well,” she said.
Beyond exchange programmes, she highlighted that both institutions were discussing research partnerships, faculty exchanges, short-term academic visits, and possible summer vacation study programmes for students from both countries.
The Associate Provost for International Education and Global Outreach of the University of Alabama, Dr Theresa E. Wise, who was part of the delegation, reinforced the team’s enthusiasm about creating platforms for long-term academic cooperation.
Dr Anderson expressed UG’s readiness to follow up with a Memorandum of Understanding and building a structured framework for the partnership.
Both sides agreed that the collaboration had the potential to enhance research output, broaden cultural understanding, and provide diverse learning experiences for Ghanaian and American students alike.
