“I have very fond memories of my visit to Ghana last November and am delighted that the discussions we had back then have already borne fruit," said University President Oliver Günther. "In March, I will be back in Ghana with a delegation from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), underlining the good relations between our two countries and their institutions of higher education.”
The University of Potsdam is currently cooperating with the University of Education, Winneba and the German International School Accra. They give students the opportunity to go on excursions, spend some time studying at the partner institutions, or complete a compulsory internship there as part of their teaching degree program. Potsdam students can complete their final internship semester or a regular internship abroad at the German International School Accra.
In recent years, Potsdam researchers from the fields of biology and linguistics have also been working on joint research projects with partners from Ghana. Linguist Prof. Natalie Boll-Avetysian, for example, conducted the first experimental study on early language acquisition in babies on the African continent together with researchers from Ghana’s capital Accra. English studies expert Prof. Hans-Georg Wolf, who researches West African variations of English, has long-standing relationships with various universities in Ghana and Nigeria. And the Potsdam botanist Prof. Anja Linstädter, together with partners from the University of Kassel and from Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger, has investigated greenhouse gas emissions and carbon storage in West African ecosystems in the "GreenGaDe" project.
For some time now, the University of Potsdam has made a conscious effort to intensify relations with West and South Africa. Most recently, a Potsdam delegation led by Oliver Günther visited various universities and educational institutions in Ghana and Nigeria at the end of 2024. In March 2026, Potsdam's university president will take part in a trip to Ghana organized by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with a focus on higher education policies and visit other academic institutions.
Further information:
On the past trip of a delegation from the University of Potsdam to Ghana and Nigeria: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/pressreleases/detail/2024-11-08-towards-many-joint-accomplishments-university-of-potsdam-strengthens-cooperation
On the research of Prof. Natalie Boll-Avetysian in Ghana: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/headlines-and-featured-stories/detail/2025-02-26-how-many-languages-can-you-learn-at-the-same-time-ghanaian-babies-two-to-six-languages
On the research of Prof. Dr. Anja Linstädter in Ghana: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/de/nachrichten/detail/2024-09-30-dialog-zwischen-wissenschaft-und-politik-verbessern-workshop-zu-treibhausgasemissionen
On Prof. Hans-Georg Wolf’s cooperation with Ghana: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/de/up-entdecken/upaktuell/up-unterwegs-reisetagebuecher/ghana-2023