Open University of West Africa

**Open University of West Africa** (OUWA) anɛ John Roberts nɛ Patrick Steele da bɔɔ li ziel Ghana, Sapal nwadig la, 2011 yʋʋm la ni. Ka ba yɛlkpan da anɛ li dɔlis pɛpsimin zamisʋgʋ yis West Africa nɔŋ pʋʋgin. John Roberts nɛ o tiraan la da paam kpɛmsʋg nɛ yɛl bama nwa ni: saŋkan la, sakur titada ken zinigin Africa da pɔɔd nɛ hali, university sʋma banɛ bɛɛ gilig dunia wʋsa la da pinin ye ba zaŋi ba zamisa namɛ dɔlis pɛbisimin woo Coursera, edX, Udacity, nɛ sieba yaas. 

Pʋtɛnɛr nwa da kɛ ka nidiba ayi banɛ ziel sakur la da maal Open Education Resources (OER), kɛ ka mobile technology paamʋg an naanaa, ka mukʋd hali ye nidib ken sakuri laligid West Africa teŋgbaʋŋ pʋʋgin.

## Li siiŋir
Open University of West Africa bɛ Ghana (OUWA) pʋʋgin la, ka zamisʋg la yɔɔb zinigin anɛ naanaa hali (US$10/yʋʋma), ka lɛn kpɛmisid sakur bibis la yinne yinne  ye ba lieb banɛ na zi tiakiri kena ba mɔɔr nwa pʋʋgin. West Africa pʋʋginɛɛ, sakur bibis banɛ laligi kpɛn sakur titada an 10%, ka nɔŋ daamid nidib bɛdigʋ bɛlim. Laam nɛ West Africa gɔbna namɛ mɔɔ maal suoya ye sakur ken an naanaa la, tiakir kae paan ye zamisʋg zinigin la ken sʋʋŋa Africa teŋgbaʋŋ pʋʋginɛ. Mɔɔr kanɛ maal suoya ye nidib bɛdigʋ nyaŋi keŋ sakuya la pʋ nyaŋi sʋŋ yɛlaa 4? Sakur bɛda ken paamʋg ya tɔi, tiir na pɔɔd nɛ sakur bibisi na lieb tʋmtʋmnib woo kpikpin bɛda dim dɔcta nam nɛ gɔbna tʋmtʋmnib. Tʋʋm bama nɛ teŋin kpɛm ya kae, maalʋg kʋ bɛ.

Bɛdigʋ banɛ da bɔɔd sakur ken yam da gbanae Open University of West Africa. Ban da yɔɔg ‘internet café of education Accra pʋʋgin, Ghana la nyaaŋ, OUWA da pinili nɛ sakur bibis 40 nɛ nyaaŋ, banɛ da ken zamisa. Yʋʋm nɛ pʋsʋk pʋʋgin ban da yɔɔgi li la, OUWA da mɔr woo sakur bibis 200. Nɛŋa paal ye Sub-Saharan Africa teŋgbaʋŋ da mɔr sakur bibis bɛdigʋ banɛ da kpɛnɛd MOOCs sankan la. Yɛlsʋm titaar kanɛ na naam sakur bil kan la anɛ ye li kɛ ka sakur bibis banɛ mɔr pʋtɛnɛr yimir la laas nɛ ba taaba, ka pinili maan laasig nam ye ba kpɛn kpikpiŋ namin. Yam kaŋa ka sakur bibids la da zaŋ la, da lieb nɛ yɛlkpanɛ tis banɛ laam da pɛɛsi sʋoe sakur la zielʋg la da zaŋ “Educate-Incubate-Invest” kpikpiŋ tʋʋma kanɛ da ye la lieb yɔɔgir la yɛlkpan zamisʋg kanɛ na pɛɛsa ayi la “sakur paal” nwa ni.

## Zamisʋg paal la

#   Paalim: piniligin la, OUWA pʋtɛnɛr da anɛ li sʋŋ ka banɛ kʋ nyaŋi dɔlis suokʋdʋg la paam suori kpɛn zamisʋgin la nyaŋi paam zamisʋg. sakur-bi bama nwa da pʋ paad zamisʋg la, yʋʋn da tuoe paamid zamisʋg laad banɛ da nar, nɛ pɛbsimin zamisʋg zaalim zini banɛ ka OUWA internet café da bɛ. Entrepreneurship zamisa da bɛ, Computer Science zamisa, General Education, ka li wʋsa yit nɛ Coursera nɛ Udacity ni.
# Unib: Kpikpinnib la nɛ sakur bibis la yam da gbanae ye ba kpɛn kpikpiʋŋʋn la da nɔbigid la, OUWA da gbanae ya ye ba pinil tʋʋma la. Na niŋ siem ka tʋʋma la paam paŋ, ba da maal yɛl-sieba ka paam zinis ye banɛ sʋŋ sakur la zielig laam tʋm. zʋmaaŋ kaŋa nwa da muku sʋŋ sakur bibis banɛ da pɛɛsi ba mɛŋ la, hali ka li laam ti an woo sakur la ken yʋʋn da pʋ lɛn mɔrɛ yɔɔdɛ, ka li na bɛ, ka paamʋg an naanaa. OUWA unib zinigin la pʋtɛnɛr da gbanae ya ziel West African setup ecosystem. Ban da tʋmmɛ dɔlisid ban na niŋ siem ka li zien la, banɛ da sʋŋi ziel sakur la da niŋid nɛ ba pʋtɛnɛri siem la: Ba na kɛ ka W. Africa paam nɔbigir. 
# Kpimsig: Ba dɔlis nɛ malima nam wʋʋ Startup West Africa (SWA), ka gaŋ kpikpiʋŋ banɛ an sʋm ka na nyaŋi zien. Ka na zaŋ ligidi sʋŋi li yɔɔgir ka li yaa zieni naae, pʋdigir 10% na keŋ tis OUWA. Kpikpiʋŋ bama nam, ka an banɛ na zien sʋŋa nɛ sakur bi banɛ mɔr baŋir sʋŋa, an banɛ da maan suori tisid pʋtɛnɛr sʋŋ sia yaas: li zienig.

## Ban nyaŋi tʋm siel
 Banɛ da sʋŋi ziel OUWA la da gɔsi nyɛ ka SliceBiz n da an kpikpiʋŋ paala la yinne, kanɛ ka ba na yɔɔg. Li na an teŋgbauŋ la kpikpiʋŋ paala la yigilʋŋ titada la yinne, Apps for Africa, ba da gaŋi ba ka tisi ba ligiid $10,000 ka ba keŋ New York ye ba yɔɔg NYSE. Siir kanɛ ka yaam paala dim da mɔri tʋm la, Open University of West Africa laam nɛ SliceBis, da pinil ya maal HUB Accra, banɛ na tʋm nɛ ba ka li na sʋŋi kɛ ka kpikpiuŋ kanɛ ka Africa nidib sʋoe la bɔbig. “innovation hub” kanɛ bɛ zinig wʋsa la, Impact HUB da die li tɔɔtɔ “Impact Hub Accra” ka li an suor kanɛ ba na laas ka dɔlisi sʋŋ ka kpikpiuŋ paala la bɛ Accra La keŋ tuon. Ba mɔr zini na tis kpikpiuŋ paala, freelancer nam, maker nam, creative nam bɛɛ kpikpiuŋ kʋda dim banɛ bɔɔd zini sʋŋ Ye ba tʋm. ban an banɛ ye ba sʋŋ kpikpiuŋ paala kpikpiuŋ zinigin la, Impact Hub Accra  Impact Hub Accra mɛ da gɔsid malim bɛda tisid kpikpinnib buudi buudi. Hub nwa anɛ yiiga tʋʋm kanɛ ka Open University of West Africa da dɛŋi tʋm la.

Ba da mɔr pʋtɛnɛr sʋŋ kanɛ na siei ka ka saam nɔŋ baŋ kanɛ lɔbi gɛɛl, cycle of poverty, OUWA da tʋm ya ka li sʋŋ ka sakur nɛ da an yɔn ka an sʋʋm la nyɛ paŋ, ka li kaae nɛ Accra an Ghana tempʋ titaar la maaa nii. Zamisa zinis da bɛ Kumasi, ka ba da maan suoya nɛ nimmua ye li widigi kpɛn Gambia, nɛ mali, nɛ Burkina. Gambia pʋʋginɛɛ, OUWA da mɔr zamisʋg kanɛ ka ba zanl primary sakur paannib banɛ da gaad 20. Burkina nɛ Mali, sakur la da laam tʋmmɛ zaŋ nasaal (EFL) paas zamisa la ni, ba da maal zamisʋg la nɛ ka li na nyaŋi kɛ ka na sʋŋ banɛ zamisid nasaal ye li sʋŋi ba zamisʋg zinigin la nyɛ sʋŋir. Linɛ pɛɛs EFL zamisʋg la ni, ba da maan suoya ye ba pinil Physician Assistant Program zamisʋg.    

## Ban gilig zin seiba  paal nɛ baŋir kanɛ yii li ni
Ban da dɔlisidi maan OpenIDEO Challege  ̶̶  ka banɛ da maali li bɛnɛ Califonia  ̶  OUWA da paam tiakir kanɛ da bɛɛ li kɔn ka da yinɛ ba da kɛ ka  zamisʋg la paae refugees nam, ka kɛ ka ba paamid zamisa la ban bɛ zinisieba la. 

Refugees nam zinis la da an zinI banɛ ka ba da giligi paal yiiga. Li da naamɛ refugees nam zinis la ayi ni, Western sʋʋlim Ghana pʋʋgin: Ampain nɛ Krisan. Paalʋg nwa ni, OUWA da laam tʋmmɛ nɛ École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Swiss teŋgbauŋ dakur kanɛ nyɛ naasi kpikpiuŋ yɛla tʋʋma zinigin. Regugees nam wʋʋ 100 nɛ, biis nɛ kpɛm, da pɛɛs zamisʋg la ni. Open University of West Africa da pʋdig smartphone nam banɛ da mɔr kpikpiuŋ yɛla zamisʋg laadi tis nidib banɛ da bɛ zini bama ni.

Nɛɛga nwa da kɛ ka ban da giligidi paan sʋʋlim banɛ ka nɔŋ da bɛ hali la, da bɔ nyɛdigir tis Open University of West Africa.    

Ba da paam zamisʋg zini kpana, ka ban pinil zinI sieba la yɔɔg suopaal  ka ba tʋgʋs. pinilin la da paal ye ba na nyɛ sʋŋir kanɛ na gaada amaal zamisʋg gbana kɛ ka sakur bil keŋ paae institutional trajectory. OUWA da nyɛ yʋma anaasi gaad la, John Roberts da kena baŋ ye “linɛ na kɛ ka zʋmauŋ la paam paŋ anɛ fʋ yaa na nyaŋi sʋŋ banɛ kuosid gabʋ suor kpʋkɛŋ ka ba paas kuosim sieba yaas, bɛɛ ba nyaŋi baŋ linɛ na paasi ba kuosim la paŋ, ba tune paam ka ba ligiid na pɛɛsa abʋ naasa nɛ abʋ nu yɛla. Ba yaa dɔlisid suor kanɛ na zi nɔbigiri tisi ba, sʋʋm kanɛ ka ba na nyɛ la sid na zuoe hali galis. Tɛnɛsim gɔs onɛ kuosidi paamid dollar dabsir yinne pʋʋgin, ka yʋʋn nyaŋidi kuosidi paamid dollar anaasi dabsir yinne pʋʋginc, ala la ba tune keŋ sibiti ie laafi.” Ba yaa dɔlisid suor kanɛ na kɛ ka kpikpiuŋ yɛla keŋ tuon, ba na nyɛɛ li sʋʋm anii ni nɔɔ. 

## OUWA Naar La, InvestED, PBC Pinilʋg
 Ban da paam yam paal, ye ban maan siem la an naanaa ka an sʋm laa, ban da na niŋ siem dɔlisi ba giligirin la ka li paae zini banɛ ka li nam pʋ paae la, IvestED da lɛdig OUWA . ka OUWA tʋʋm kpan da anɛ ba kɛ ka zamisʋg an yɔn, InvestED na gɔs paalʋg kanɛ pʋ paam suorɛ, ka kɛ ka ba na zamisid ba vʋm saŋa wʋsa. OUWA bɛlim da anɛ li kɛ ka zamisʋg paae zini kana ka ba pʋ paamid la , ka sʋŋi kɛ ka baŋir kanɛ kpiilim la na yinɛ open educational resources . Laamnɛ OUWA pʋ lɛn tʋm laa, yaam kanɛ ka ba nyɛɛ yi yʋʋm anaasi kanɛ ka ba da tʋm la kɛ ya ka InvestED paam paŋ: app kanɛ mɔr android “na mɔri paan banɛ zamisid kpikpiuŋ yɛla ka pʋ tune la, ka ba na nyaŋi kɛ ka ba ligiid yɛla zien sʋŋa, la yaa dɔlis cutting-edge mobile technology”.

## Gbamvɛɛnsa