Fashion Schools and Programs in Ghana

Fashion Studies in Ghana

Are you a fan of fashion and/or fashion design and looking to participate in a study abroad program?  Have you considered the exotic country of Ghana as a potential study abroad locale?  Although certainly not your traditional study abroad destination, Ghana offers many programs in fashion and fashion design that allow students to study and live in the country for a semester or year while gaining valuable credits towards their degree.
 
Ghana, officially known as the Republic of Ghana, is a sovereign country and unitary presidential constitutional republic, located on the western side of the African continent.  The country is bordered by the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean to the south.  Of all the African countries that were once colonized by European powers, Ghana, in 1957, was the first to declare its independence.  The word Ghana means "Warrior King."
 
A fairly large country, Ghana has a total area of 238,535 square kilometers with some 2,100 kilometers of international land borders.  The country of Ghana consists of ten administrative regions and several islands, parts of which are endowed with savannas, woodlands, forests, a coastal line, fertile lands, springs, waterfalls, streams, rivers and caves.  Ghana is also home to a number of lakes, estuaries, mountains, wildlife parks, nature reserves, industrial minerals, precious metals and fossil fuel. The coast of Ghana, which offers miles of white-sand beaches, stretches some 350 miles (560 kilometers) and has a peninsula at Cape Three Points.  Also along the coastline are a number of castles and forts, and several ports and harbors that are vital to the Ghanaian economy.  
 
Ghana is considered a regional power and a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Group of 24 (G24).  Its education system, although not quite up to Western standards, is rapidly improving, especially in terms of its higher education system.
 
Fashion Education in Ghana
 
Fashion education, as a degree program in Ghana, is rapidly gaining in popularity among local and international students.  In total, Ghana’s tertiary institutions enroll over 100,000 students in undergraduate, graduate, certificate and diploma programs in a full range of academic and professional fields, including many international students studying abroad in the country.
 
Ghana is home to several public and private universities, the latter being accredited by the National Accreditation Board to award undergraduate and (some) graduate degrees. Ten public polytechnics also exist within the country, offering three-year Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) in applied business (including fashion) and technology fields. The HND is not equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree, but undergraduate transfer credit can be awarded, as is also the case for Teacher Training Colleges and other tertiary non-degree programs.

Ghanaian university admission is highly competitive, especially in fields such as medicine, engineering, law, and pharmacy. The quality of education is considered reasonably high, evidence that human resources are more significant than material resources in the field of education.  In an effort to attract international enrollment, all Ghanaian universities operate on a modular, semester system.

Although fashion and fashion design degree programs are only offered at a few of Ghana’s higher education institutions, the programs that do exist are very high in quality, offering the full range of courses that a future fashion designer will need to be successful. As a participant in one of Ghana’s fashion education programs, some of the courses students can expect to encounter include:
 

• History of Fashion and Fashion Design
• Art and sketching
• Computer aided drawing (CAD)
• Costume Design
• Clothing/Garment Construction
• Information and Business Management
• Fashion Illustration
• Business Mathematics
• Pattern Making
• Tailoring
• Textile Science
• And many more…

A bachelor’s or graduate degree program in fashion design will also typically include courses in advanced clothing or garment construction; advanced pattern making;; ethnic and/or regional designs; fashion theory; and the fundamentals of 2-D and 3-D design.

Why Study Abroad in Ghana

For students of fashion who are studying abroad, Ghana offers a rigorous and challenging academic program and a warm and friendly university atmosphere.  A popular spot these days for international students and tourists, the country is home to a number of interesting sites and attractions, all of which make for exciting sightseeing opportunities when students are not too busy with their classroom studies.  Some of these sites and attractions include:
 
The Castles
 
If you enjoy history and architecture, you will certainly get a kick out of the many castles and forts located throughout Ghana.  One of the more interesting of these is the Cape Coast Castle, a beautiful structure that dates back to the early 17^th century.  It was taken over by the British in 1664, after which there were literally millions of slaves shipped through the castle to a myriad of destinations in Europe and the Americas.  While visiting the Cape Coast Castle, you’ll see many of the old cannons that were once used to protect the fort, and you will get a somber look at what was deemed the "Door of No Return,” a door through which so many slaves lost their freedom and even their lives.
 
Not far from the Cape Coast Castle is the famed Elmina Castle.  Built in 1482, the Elmina Castle is the earliest structure erected by Europeans in the region.  While taking a guided tour through the castle, visitors can check out the dungeons that were once used to hold slaves prior to their departure and the nearby Catholic Church in the city, which is also the oldest of its kind in Ghana.
 
The Lakes
 
Ghana plays host to some of Africa’s most beautiful scenery, including scores of lakes and breathtaking waterfalls.  The most well-known lake in the country is the Volta Lake, which actually occupies a large portion of Ghana’s total area. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, and the main source of light energy for Ghana and its neighboring countries, since it carries one of the largest dams in Africa—the Akosombo Dam.
 
Another smaller lake in Ghana is Lake Bosumtwi, located in the heart of the Kumasi region of the country.  Tourists here can rent a boat on the lake, on which they can do some fishing or simply explore the lake and the many small villages that surround it—and depend upon its bounty.
 
The Waterfalls
 
Spectacular waterfalls also abound in the country of Ghana, one of the most popular being the Boti Waterfall, situated in the eastern part of the country.  The highest waterfall in the entire country is the Wli waterfall, where guests will be amazed at the sheer amount of surging water that flows some 60 meters from the cliff tops to the awaiting river below.