Engaging in Ghana: Rutgers Deepens Academic, Research, and Global Partnerships

Rutgers University is strengthening its engagement in Ghana through a growing network of academic partnerships, faculty collaborations, student opportunities, and community-centered initiatives that reflect the university’s broader global strategic vision.

At the heart of this work is the newly formed Ghana Working Group, a cross-campus collective of faculty and administrators organized by Rutgers Global and headed by Assistant Vice President Ji-Yeung Jang and dedicated to coordinating and advancing Rutgers’ activities in the country.

A Strategic Focus on Ghana

The university’s work in Ghana spans a wide range of disciplines and initiatives, including more than 82 joint publications over the past five years and more than 20 funded projects.

Rutgers currently maintains partnerships with several leading institutions in Ghana, including Garden City University College, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Cape Coast, University of Ghana, and University of Health and Allied Sciences. These partnerships support collaborative research, academic exchange, graduate advising, faculty mentorship, and capacity-building efforts across disciplines.

Expanding Student Opportunities

Ghana also plays an increasingly important role in Rutgers’ study abroad and experiential learning portfolio.
Students can engage with Ghana through semester-long and short-term programs, including the CIEE Semester Program at the University of Ghana, as well as faculty-led summer experiences such as the Global Health Practicum in Ghana through the School of Nursing.

Other immersive opportunities include Middle Passage – Journeys To and From Ghana, a powerful summer program led by faculty from Rutgers–Camden and Rutgers–Newark that invites students to critically engage with history, identity, and the enduring legacies of the transatlantic slave trade.

These initiatives align with broader goals to expand student mobility through programs such as Access Africa, internships, and experiential learning placements.

A Cross-Campus Collaborative Vision

The Ghana Working Group brings together faculty and staff from across Rutgers’ campuses and units who have active projects, research interests, or strategic goals related to Ghana.

Potential areas of growth include clinical and surgical missions, collaborative research, graduate recruitment, faculty mentorship, legal education, joint lectures, and professional training partnerships.

The working group also seeks to leverage Rutgers’ connections with Mandela Washington Fellows, alumni, and institutional partners throughout Ghana.  

Transforming Legal Education and Access to Justice: Spotlight on Professor J.C. Lore

Among the most impactful recent initiatives is the work of J.C. Lore, Distinguished Clinical Professor and Director of Trial Advocacy at Rutgers Law School.

Lore has long been active across the African continent, contributing to legal training for those advocating for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations in countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.

In 2025, he received a Rutgers Global Grant to advance the right to legal counsel for poor and vulnerable populations in Ghana.

In January 2026, after spending 9 months researching and working collaboratively with universities and the legal system in Ghana to identify the training needs of a newly created public defense system, Lore traveled to Ghana with Rutgers Law students Emma Carabello, Miranda Carlo, and Kerry Robinson for a transformative legal education and public service initiative.

Over the course of two weeks, the Rutgers team helped train Ghana’s entire public defense system, volunteer attorneys, and law faculty—work that Lore described as both deeply meaningful and foundational for the future.

“It was simply an incredible two weeks in Ghana,” Lore shared in a recent reflection. “We trained the entire country’s public defense system, additional volunteer lawyers, and two amazing law school faculty.”

The team worked closely with the Legal Aid Commission and the Public Defender Division, supporting institutions that provide legal representation to underserved and vulnerable communities across the country.

The experience also gave students rare access to Ghana’s legal leadership, including time spent with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, as well as leading educators and legal reform advocates.

For Lore, the trip underscored the transformative power of global engagement—not only for the communities served, but also for the students involved.

“The students worked hard and demonstrated the greatness of our community at Rutgers Law School,” he said. “This was only the beginning of a long and impactful relationship with legal system and universities.”

Beyond the legal work, the group also visited Cape Coast, where they reflected on the history and human toll of the transatlantic slave trade through visits to the region’s historic castles and memorial sites.

The experience, Lore noted, was both emotionally profound and energizing, shaped by the warmth, resilience, and generosity of the Ghanaian people.

Building for the Future

Rutgers’ engagement in Ghana reflects the university’s global strategic goals: to foster comprehensive international partnerships, expand regional collaborations, and create transformative experiences for students and faculty alike.
Rutgers’ expanding engagement in Ghana represents more than a series of programs or partnerships—it reflects a long-term commitment to collaborative, reciprocal, and impactful global work.

Dr. Jang noted, “From health sciences and social work to legal education, humanities, and student mobility, Ghana has become a powerful site for interdisciplinary innovation and connection. As Rutgers continues to build these relationships, the university is laying the foundation for enduring partnerships that advance research, education, and social impact across borders.”

For Rutgers students and faculty, this work is not only shaping global scholarship—it is helping build a more connected and equitable world.

If you are interested in learning more and joining the Ghana Working Group, please contact Program Coordinator Afia Asamoah at afia.asamoah@rutgers.edu.