Izmirlian Program Students Engage with Key Stakeholders in Ghana
Accra, the bustling capital city of Ghana, served as a living classroom for the Dikran Izmirlian B.S. in Business and Global Affairs senior cohort this winter break. The week-long trip to Ghana served as the capstone of the senior year sequence of the curriculum, which blends interdisciplinary instruction, project-based learning, open-ended research, and community engagement.
During their time in Ghana, students engaged with key stakeholders in the country’s small, open economy, collaborating with local governments, businesses, and nongovernmental organizations on sustainable development projects. They also explored Ghana’s rich history and culture, visiting historical sites like the Cape Coast Castle, working with government agencies, and even attending the presidential inauguration. Reflecting on the experience, Marcelo Gigliani-Alcantarilla (BGA’25) described it as the “culmination of the four years” of learning in the BGA program.
Helping to Shape Energy Policy
A significant focus of the learning experience was public sector development. As part of the multi-year social justice thread of the course, students worked with Ghana’s Forestry and Energy Commission on a multi-year public sector consulting project. Students were divided into five groups for energy: public-private partnership framework for solar energy; innovative financing mechanism for renewable energy; policy and regulatory analysis for solar power expansion; women-centric solar energy projects in rural areas; and battery storage technologies.
Izmirlian Program students aimed to identify the commission’s specific needs and lay the groundwork for future cohorts. Isabella Stratta (BGA’25) worked with energy counterparts in the battery storage technologies group. Before traveling to Ghana, Stratta and her team analyzed relevant case studies of countries with similar political, economic, and cultural contexts. However, Stratta emphasized the bulk of learning happened during the on-the-ground experience. Their research will be passed on to future Izmirlian Program cohorts to build on, emphasizing the long-term impact of the project.
Understanding Different Perspectives
Professor Kwame Otu, an Izmirlian Program faculty member and cultural anthropologist from Ghana, served as a valuable guide throughout the trip, offering his expertise and insights. Reflecting on the visit to the Energy Commission, Otu emphasized the importance of cultural awareness in global business.
“In Ghana, things work according to Ghana’s own rhythm,” he said. “When we have these engagements, we must be reminded that what we write on paper often does not translate exactly into action. People who plan on doing business internationally must be aware of a different way of planning and the cultural differences that must be considered when we think about these kinds of interactions.”
Beyond the Classroom: A Glimpse into Ghana’s Future
For Stratta, the most memorable moment of the trip was working with FairAfric, a Ghana-based chocolate company. FairAfric is centered around its mission of being impact-oriented, transparent, respectful, environmentally conscious, and visionary. The program has traditionally collaborated with multinational companies, such as BMW and Gap, so working with FairAfric offered a unique perspective to understand the contributions and value to the economy from a domestic company.
Students were also present at Ghana’s presidential inauguration on January 7, 2025, for the swearing in of President John Dramani Mahama. Students emphasized the collective optimism they saw from the event, having engaged with locals on their perspectives.
Shaping Future Global Leaders
For the students, the trip was not just an academic experience, but a transformative one that they will carry with them into their future. The blend of professional learning in business fundamentals and global value chains, paired with real-life experience, will shape students into globally-minded future leaders.
Gigliani-Alcantarilla reflected on how Georgetown’s interdisciplinary approach aligned with his private sector career goals. “The way of thinking here is not something you get in a traditional business degree,” he said. “The Izmirlian Program has allowed me to marry my interests with what Georgetown is good at.” Originally from Spain, he emphasized how this experience has allowed him to see different cultural perspectives.
Stratta, an Obama-Chesky scholar who grew up in Belgium and has roots in Argentina, emphasized how her global background piqued her interest in working on climate policy.
“To work on climate issues, you must know how the private sector works – its mechanisms and functions – and combine that with the public sector to further climate policy,” she said. Enrolling in the Izmirlian Program solidified her interest in international development and international business.
-Carrie Wang (BGA’26)