Liberty events teach students in Ghana the benefits of free trade and smaller government

Liberty and economic freedom were front and center at the 2019 Campus Liberty Train Chain of Events, an educational series of programs sponsored by Ghana’s Institute for Economic Liberty and Education (ILEE). Held on three college campuses, ILEE, which is a partner of African Students for Liberty, sought to reach university students with new insight into the benefits of free trade and smaller government.

The first portion of the events was the Economic Freedom Summit, where 56 students gathered to listen to the benefits of free market solutions. The second event was the Colloquium, which lectured over 91 students on the ideas of liberty. The final portion was a book review seminar, where 32 participants discussed “The Morality of Capitalism,” a book edited by Tom G. Palmer, Atlas Network’s executive vice president for international programs and George M. Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty.

“The impact of the Campus Liberty Train Chain of Events was not only in numbers but also a change in public opinion from socialistic government policies to more free market solutions,” noted Eric Cofie, regional coordinator of the West Africa leadership and Chapter Development African Students For Liberty. Cofie believes the general public has become hooked on socialist ideologies and the idea that they need big government programs. After participating in the lectures, a few students began to express an understanding of why big government programs such as welfare are counterproductive, embracing the idea that economic freedom increases prosperity, not government aid.

As a partner of African Students for Liberty, an Atlas Network partner, ILEE’s relationship with Atlas Network has given them the tools to focus on their mission and achieve their goals. "Partnering with Atlas Network has helped our organisation to network with other free-market think tanks, manage our projects by developing strategic plans and be able to raise funds to support our project outcomes," concluded Cofie. “We look forward to doing more in spreading the ideas of liberty and economic freedom.”