May 03-2026
On 25 February, H.E. Professor Mrs. Esi Awuah visited the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich, a cantonal university, accompanied by the Deputy Head of Mission, Francisca Patoah Gyarko; the Head of Chancery, Louisa Hanson; and the Mission’s chauffeur, Seth Ashong. The delegation received a brief tour of the Department and engaged in productive discussions with faculty members.
They met with Prof. Ralph Ossa, UBS Foundation Professor of Economics, former Chief Economist of the World Trade Organization and incoming Vice President of the University of Zurich. The delegation also attended a presentation by Prof. David Yanagizawa-Drott, Professor of Development and Emerging Markets, on Leveraging AI for Social Impact in the Global South and Scientific Collaboration.
The discussions highlighted the growing importance of Artificial Intelligence in national policy development and evidence-based decision-making. It was noted that the effective use of AI requires accessible and open data systems, and that limited access to structured data remains a challenge in many developing countries.
Prof. Yanagizawa-Drott demonstrated innovative AI tools capable of supporting decision-making on key development challenges such as illegal mining activities, plastic waste management and issues affecting the cocoa sector. He is currently applying these tools in Ghana to analyze the performance of the national health insurance system; however, progress has been slowed by limited access to data from the Ministry of Health.
Her Excellency expressed her commitment to supporting collaboration with the Social Economic Laboratory to facilitate access to relevant data that can assist Ghana in making informed decisions for sustainable development.
The engagement also explored opportunities for academic and policy collaboration, including the potential for training PhD students in the application of AI for development and public policy. This formed part of a broader academic visit, which included discussions on innovation and higher education collaboration at ETH Zurich.