A Colorado State University College of Business student from Ghana who earned two master's degrees in a record two-and-a-half years has been named an Acumen Fund Fellow, a prestigious award dedicated to serving the poor in developing countries.
CSU student Sule Amadu was chosen from a pool of 300 candidates. He completed two master's degrees at CSU in mechanical engineering through the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory in the College of Engineering and in business through the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise program in the College of Business.
"Sule embodies all of the qualities that the GSSE program seeks in international students," says Carl Hammerdorfer, director of the GSSE program, "He works very hard, he is entrepreneurial and he is committed to using an enterprise approach to solving the most challenging development problems faced by people in base of pyramid countries."
“Established in 2006, the Acumen Fund Fellows Program is a 12-month fellowship for individuals dedicated to serving the poor in the developing world and with the business, operational and professional skills needed to effect change. Though primarily based in South Asia and East Africa, the fellowship begins with a six-week orientation program in the Acumen Fund New York office, during which the Fellows explore business models for the poor, build their personal networks, hone critical leadership skills and get to know the culture and people of Acumen Fund.
After orientation, each Fellow works for an Acumen Fund investee on a critical business issue facing the organization. Fellows have worked on projects ranging from marketing drip irrigation systems to expanding the clinic network of a pharmacy company to developing branding strategies for a microfinance institution in Pakistan. At the same time, the Fellows help meet Acumen Fund’s goal of developing knowledge about market-based approaches to poverty alleviation. The Fellows are trained to spend a portion of their time in the field documenting their experiences and creating business case studies, academic papers and documentary videos, which are then shared widely.” 1
"I have admired Sule's dedication, commitment and passion for his studies, for his research, and have watched him excel in each of his pursuits at CSU," says Bryan Willson, director of the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory. "We are very proud of the work that Sule has done – and proud of the great things that we know Sule will do as an Acumen Fellow and beyond."
Amadu has participated in several projects within Willson's laboratory and is an original team member of PowerMundo, an international venture that manages a global distribution network for healthy and affordable technologies to empower people in developing countries. The company, which started as a project for the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise master's degree program in the College of Business, is now operating in Peru.
Acumen Fund Fellows are talented individuals of diverse geographies, backgrounds, religions and ages who have decided on a career of venture philanthropy.
Amadu will begin training for the year-long fellowship in September in New York City.
1. Source: http://www.acumenfund.org/uploads/assets/documents/AF%20Fellows%20Collateral_lQ0b0VUr.pdf. For more information about the Acumen Fund and the Fund Fellowships, please visit the website at http://www.acumenfund.org/.