LECIAD was specifically established in 1989 by the University as an International Relations and Diplomacy institute within the Faculty of Social Studies at the request of Ghana’s Foreign Ministry.
LECIAD is thus an academic unit within the College of Humanities of the University of Ghana but with a strategic link with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. LECIAD has since earned a reputation as a dynamic, innovative, prestigious and world renowned institute for studies in International Affairs.
LECIAD’s philosophy and approach to teaching and research in International Affairs is all-encompassing based on a critical and continuously evolving debate that seeks to empower our students to understand the past and the challenges of our present world especially the post-Cold War and post-9/11 dynamics. As an institution located in Africa, LECIAD focuses on addressing some of the persistent challenges facing Africa.
The Centre’s values are thus shaped by the history of Ghana as Africa’s political liberation forerunner, and doyen of democracy and good governance. Africa’s standing in the global political economy informs the Centre’s adoption of a problem-solving approach to the study of international affairs.
The Centre thus combines theory and research in order to come to terms with the issues of critical importance to Ghana, Africa, the developing world, and the international community.