Flipping the Colonial Script: How Ghana Surpassed Nigeria to Lead West Africa’s Universities

Flipping the Colonial Script: How Ghana Surpassed Nigeria to Lead West Africa’s Universities

In the mid-20th century, British colonial planners envisioned a single university college for all of West Africa, to be located in Ibadan, Nigeria. Nigeria’s larger population, political influence, and central location made it the natural choice. Smaller colonies, including the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana), were expected to rely on Nigeria to train administrators, scientists, and professionals.Ghana’s leaders, however, recognized the risk. A na…