National Debate Champions to participate in Pan-African Universities Championship

The University of Ghana Debate Society, National Champions of the 2021 Ghana Universities Debate Championship, will participate in this year’s Pan-African Universities Debate Championship to be hosted by the University of Botswana Debate Masters Association.

The Championship which is to be hosted virtually because of the COVID-9 pandemic will come off from 9th to 14th December 2021.

This year’s edition of the tournament is dubbed “Homecoming”, paying homage to the University of Botswana as the first-ever hosts of the tournament which has gone on to define discourse at the tertiary level of African students.

The theme for this year’s championship is “Channeling the Roots of African Debate”.

The University of Ghana will present a fourteen-member squad for this year’s competition.

The team made up of ten speakers and four adjudicators will commence camping and training at the University of Ghana on 1st December 2021 to adequately prepare themselves ahead of the championship.

The Team has been working towards enhancing their performance from the continent’s previous competitions and to continue their ascension after being crowned champions of the Ghana Universities’ Debate Championships last October at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani.

The National Champion and President of the Society, Elisha Owusu Akyaw described the tournament as a “great opportunity to represent the University and to bring the ultimate prize home.”

He expressed the desire of the team to build new legacies at this year’s championship while working up from the great work and foundations laid by the Team’s predecessors.

The National Champion and President of the Society, Elisha Owusu Akyaw described the tournament as a “great opportunity to represent the University and to bring the ultimate prize home.”

He expressed the desire of the team to build new legacies at this year’s championship while working up from the great work and foundations laid by the Team’s predecessors.

Former President of the University of Ghana Debate Society and Coach of the Team, Mr Lawrence Nii Kotey Neequaye expressed his confidence in the team and his expectations going into the Championship.

“After winning this year’s National Debate Championship, the Team is poised and committed towards making great strides in this year’s PAUDC and bringing the gold home. Preparations towards this end have been good so far and each member of the Team is putting in their maximum effort towards excelling at the tournament. We continue, as always to appreciate the support of the Sports Directorate and the University Community in urging the team on to success.”

Team UG is optimistic of an impactful performance at this year’s tournament with National Debate Champion Elisha Owusu Akyaw and Pan-African Universities’ Public Speaking Champion Wesoamo Zempare, as well as National debate semi-finalists Abdul Fattaw, Yolanda Kwadey, Eunice Asare and others forming part of this year’s debate team.

The Pan African Universities Debate Championship is the flagship inter-tertiary debate Championship on the African continent with the first edition hosted by the University of Botswana Debate Masters Association in 2008.

The competition, which fosters a platform for the discussion and deliberation of pertinent issues surrounding Africa and the world, has traveled across the continent to ensure the growth of discourse in various African universities.

The University of Ghana holds the current title for the African Public Speaking, a feat achieved by Miss Wesoamo Zempare in 2020.