Overview

Huda Ibrahim’s passion for environmental conservation inspired her to pursue a degree in Environmental Engineering at the University of Energy and Natural Resources. However, like many Ghanaian youth completing National Service in 2019, she faced significant challenges finding employment despite her academic success.

Determined to change her trajectory, Huda joined the inaugural ReadyforWork cohort in August 2019. The program honed her skills as an environmental professional, paving the way for her role as Program Officer at EPA Ghana and a selection for the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship 2024/2025.

Challenge

According to the 2024 Mo Ibrahim Foundation report, Ghana ranks second in Africa for quality education progress, scoring 84.5/100. Despite this achievement, the country faces significant workforce challenges. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) 2023 Quarterly Labour Bulletin reports a national youth unemployment rate (relaxed definition) of 32.8% for 15–24-year-olds, averaging 32% throughout 2024. Furthermore, 25.8% of this age group were not in employment, education, or training (NEET) in Q4 2024, per GSS data released in August 2025.

Furthermore, a disconnect between schooling and learning means that out of Ghana's expected 11.6 years of schooling, only 5.7 years represent quality-adjusted learning (World Bank HCI, 2023). This leads to graduates who lack the market-relevant digital skills employers increasingly demand.

Traditional education often fails to offer digital skills, such as data analytics, digital project management, and AI literacy, that employers increasingly demand. Studies show targeted digital skills programs are essential to bridging this gap and unlocking the continent's demographic dividend.

Stars From All Nations’ ReadyforWork platform addresses this gap through AI-powered training tailored to workforce needs. By equipping graduates with practical, job-ready skills, ReadyforWork has already empowered 126 young Africans to secure meaningful careers. Huda says:

Results

ReadyforWork didn't just teach Huda skills. It reshaped her trajectory, proving its mission to turbocharge careers with fulfilling, impactful work that drives Ghana and Africa’s sustainable development goals.

• New job as Program Officer at EPA Ghana
• 100% satisfaction with course experience
• Mentorship opportunities through the ReadyforWork alumni network
• 100% improved confidence to pursue environmental leadership
• Selection for Mandela Washington Fellowship 2025
• A $10,000 grant from the Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange to implement an air quality project in Techiman, Ghana.

Huda transformed her career trajectory with ReadyforWork, Africa’s human capital development operating system. After completing the program, she secured a pivotal role at Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency, launching her career of advancing sustainable development initiatives. She has also earned a master's degree in environmental science and obtained a certificate in geographic information systems.

Huda’s work has directly impacted over 20 communities in the Bono East Region and beyond with climate change awareness, actively participated in actions to protect the Tano River, which supports several communities along its path, and mentored over 100 young people to improve their leadership and professional skills. She is currently researching the development of an air quality dispersion modeling system for the Techiman community, with the goal of scaling it up and adopting it as a regulatory model for the area.

Huda was selected for the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship 2025, becoming one of only 700 young African leaders chosen from ~58,000 applicants across the continent. Huda is leveraging her Fellowship experience and exposure in the United States to improve the results of the EPA's compliance monitoring and enforcement efforts in Ghana.

Her "CleanAIRE for All" initiative in Techiman is deploying innovative air quality monitoring systems to address critical data gaps in Ghana's environmental health infrastructure. The project, funded through the Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange program, represents a vital collaboration between EPA Ghana and CleanAIRE NC.