Our History – oxfordandcambridge-ghana

2012

Oxford campus — the university heritage behind OxfordPlus.

The Beginnings

OxfordPlus

The journey towards the present-day Oxford and Cambridge Society of Ghana (OxCam Ghana) began in 2012, when Oxford alumna Dr Emefa Juliet Takyi-Amoako sought to connect with an established Oxford alumni group in Ghana. After being informed by the Oxford Alumni Office that no officially recognised Oxford alumni group was then active in the country, she initiated efforts, with the support of the Oxford Alumni Office and a group of Oxford alumni in Ghana, to establish one.

These efforts led to the creation of OxfordPlus, which was officially launched on 15 November 2012. The launch combined alumni fellowship with community engagement and included a reading session involving more than 150 school children at the Osu Children's Library in Accra.

As OxfordPlus developed, research and conversations with longstanding alumni revealed a much older history of Oxford and Cambridge alumni activity in Ghana, stretching back several decades. This discovery strengthened an emerging conviction that Ghana would benefit from bringing together different generations of alumni rather than developing separate networks.

OxfordPlus therefore began reaching out to older Oxford and Cambridge alumni with the longer-term objective of harmonising alumni activities and creating a broad and inclusive community embracing Ghanaian alumni of both universities.

2013

Cambridge campus — part of the Society’s shared university heritage.

A Joint Society

Bringing Oxford and Cambridge Alumni Together

In January 2013, the Networks Officer of the Oxford Alumni Office contacted Dr Emefa Juliet Takyi-Amoako regarding an expression of interest from the Cambridge Alumni Office in bringing the Cambridge alumni group in Ghana together with OxfordPlus to establish a joint Oxford and Cambridge society.

A process of consultation, meetings and conversations followed.

OxfordPlus and the Cambridge alumni group were subsequently brought together, culminating in the inauguration of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Ghana at a meeting held in Accra on 2 November 2013.

At the inaugural meeting, a constitution drafted for the merged Society was ratified. Members also supported the earlier initiative to reach out to longstanding Oxford and Cambridge alumni so that different generations of alumni could be brought together within one strong Society.

The new Society was conceived not simply as a networking organisation, but as a community through which Oxford and Cambridge alumni could maintain fellowship, strengthen educational connections and use their knowledge, experience and networks in ways that could contribute positively to Ghanaian society.

2016
—
2021

Alumni fellowship at the 2024 Gala — a later illustration of the Society’s community.

Early Years

A Period of Reduced Activity

Following its establishment, the Society organised and participated in alumni, educational, networking and leadership activities and continued developing relationships among Oxford and Cambridge alumni in Ghana.

Over time, however, the level of organised activity declined. Between approximately 2016 and 2021, the Society experienced an extended period of limited activity, with fewer organised programmes and a diminished public presence.

Although the network and its institutional history remained, the Society required renewed organisation and engagement if it was to fulfil the wider vision that had informed its establishment.

2022
—
2024

Guests arriving at the 2024 anniversary celebration — a milestone in the Society’s renewal.

Reactivation & Renewal

Rebuilding the Society

In 2022, a concerted effort was initiated under the leadership of Dr Emefa Takyi-Amoako to reactivate and rebuild the Society.

The renewal focused on reconnecting alumni, rebuilding participation, restoring relationships with the Universities and strengthening the Society's institutional structures and public presence. It also sought to revive the founding aspiration that OxCam Ghana should be more than a social network: it should bring the collective knowledge, experience and influence of its alumni to bear on education, mentorship, professional development and wider social impact in Ghana.

Alumni engagement resumed, including activities bringing together established alumni, recent graduates, current students and students preparing to begin their studies at Oxford and Cambridge.

The reactivation also provided an opportunity to reflect upon the Society's first decade and to consider what the next phase of its development should represent.

2022
—
2024

Official invitation flyer for the 10th Anniversary Gala, 28 August 2024.

Towards the 10th Anniversary

Renewing the Vision

From November 2022, preparations began for a major anniversary celebration that would bring together generations of Oxford and Cambridge alumni and provide a platform for renewing the Society's vision.

Planning developed through 2023 and 2024, involving alumni, committees and volunteers working across different aspects of the anniversary programme.

Alongside preparations for the anniversary, the Society continued rebuilding its programme of engagement.

In May 2024, OxCam Ghana held a networking event in Accra under the theme “Privilege and the Moral Responsibility to Serve: Case Studies from OXCAM Alumni in Ghana.” The event encouraged alumni to reflect on the responsibilities accompanying educational opportunity and on the contribution they could make to Ghana's development.

The renewed Society increasingly articulated its aspiration to work for the benefit of members while extending its impact beyond the alumni community through education, mentorship and social-impact initiatives.

28
AUG
2024

A presentation at the 10th Anniversary Gala, 28 August 2024.

A Major Milestone

The 10th Anniversary Networking and Fundraising Gala Dinner

The reactivation reached a significant milestone with the Society's 10th Anniversary Networking and Fundraising Gala Dinner, held in Accra on 28 August 2024 under the theme:

“A Decade of Foundational Excellence: Building the Future Together.”

The Gala brought together distinguished alumni and guests from different generations for an evening of reflection, fellowship and renewed commitment to the future.

His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, then President of the Republic of Ghana and an alumnus of the University of Oxford, was Guest of Honour. His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, former President of the Republic of Ghana, Oxford alumnus and Patron of the Society, chaired the occasion.

The anniversary provided an opportunity to honour those whose contributions had helped establish and sustain the alumni community, while also looking beyond the achievements of the preceding decade.

A central message of the evening was the responsibility of alumni to place their education, expertise, experience and networks at the service of others. Particular emphasis was placed on education, mentorship of young people, critical thinking, professional development and alumni participation in Ghana's wider development.