After seven years in rented buildings in Ghana, Ashesi University broke ground on a new campus that's largely funded by donations from Microsoft alumni.

The school was started by former Windows engineer Patrick Awuah, whose long-term goal is to start an Ivy League of private schools to train future leaders of Africa.

It took longer than expected to raise more than $3 million needed for the campus, but the money came through earlier this year. On Saturday, Awuah broke ground on the school's 100 acres in Berkuso, a village outside Accra.

Todd Warren, a former Windows Mobile executive and trustee of the school, blogged about the event:

The ceremony opened with the village Chief's arrival and a ceremonial greeting between the visitors and invited dignitaries. We had on hand, in addition to the Berkuso chief and his entourage, the minister of education, the local MP, the local director of the international finance corporation, and the U.S. ambassador to Ghana. The Chief started things off. He went through the history of the land acquisition, and indicated the community had turned down other offers because they felt a college would have a more positive impact on the community. The MP even indicated he was looking forward to coming to guest lecture on the new campus in the future.

Awuah is in the blue shirt in this photo from Warren's blog:

A rendering of the campus, which is expected tol open in 2011 and accommodate 2,000 students: