Lydia Bigley, a Senior Administrator in the College of Social Sciences and Law took part in a short-term Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility project at the University of Ghana Centre for Social Policy Studies in July 2025. In the blog below, Lydia tells us about their mobility experience at the University of Ghana, and their experience of Ghanaian culture.
I had wanted to visit West Africa for a long time, especially Ghana, so when I heard there was an opportunity to visit the University of Ghana’s Centre for Social Policy Studies I couldn’t believe my luck. Opportunities like this are rarely available to professional staff.
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Accra hits you with its energy from the moment you arrive. The city is sprawling, busy, and vibrant, and often feels chaotic. Yet despite the intensity, I found it welcoming and safe to explore. The only real hazard was the roads: reckless driving is the norm, and accidents are a genuine risk.
The University of Ghana is located in Legon, 13 km north-east of the capital. It is the country’s largest and oldest public university, with over 70,000 registered students. My main goals for the exchange were to observe and learn about administrative processes and workflows within the university. As part of my proposal, I also offered to give a short presentation on the use of generative AI in university administration.
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On my first day at the University of Ghana, I met Associate Professor Nana Akua Anyidoho, Director of the Centre for Social Policy Studies. She gave me an overview of how the Centre operates before introducing me to Vida, the Centre Administrator. Vida took me on a tour of the impressive campus, including the Balme Library, the newly built sports stadium, and even some enormous termite mounds! In the afternoon, I attended a Masters lecture in Communication Studies, where students were presenting on Communication Ethics and Law. This gave me a glimpse into student life at UG and highlighted contrasts in teaching styles between the two universities.
Over the course of my exchange I met with staff from the International Programme Office, who enthusiastically described their initiatives for international students, and from the Information Technology Directorate, who explained the university’s student information systems and were keen to learn about the systems we use in UCD. The highlight of my week was giving a presentation to university staff on “The Use of Generative AI in University Administration.” The session was well attended by staff from across the university, and the enthusiasm and curiosity to learn more about Generative AI were clear. The exchange was an eye-opening experience: a rare opportunity to experience university life from a Ghanaian perspective. All the staff I met were friendly, welcoming, and eager to hear about higher education in Ireland.
As an English-speaking country (a former British colony) with hospitable and open people, Ghana offered an easy introduction to West Africa — a region I hope to explore more of soon.
I feel honoured to have been the only professional staff member to take part in this exchange. It was a privilege, one that I would highly recommend to others. The experience has left me with lifelong memories.
Find out more
- Photo captions: (1) Lydia with colleagues from the UG International Office (2) At a termite mound on the campus (3) Lydia delivering a presentation to UG colleagues during her visit.
- Lydia's exchange was funded under Erasmus+ Key Action 171 (also known as Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility). In 2022, UCD was awarded €44,320 by the (opens in a new window)Higher Education Authority for an Erasmus+ ICM mobility project linking the University of Ghana's Centre for Social Policy Studies with the UCD Centre for Humanitarian Action. Over the course of the project, 14 exchanges took place.
- Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (ICM) is a strand of the Erasmus+ programme that enables staff and students to undertake mobility periods in non-EU countries.
- If you have an idea for a mobility project and are interested in finding out how Erasmus+ ICM funding works, email (opens in a new window)erasmusicm@ucd.ie