Ibrahim Osta

Senior Advisor, Economic Growth and Global Tourism Lead

Ibrahim brings over 30 years of experience leading international development projects with over $350 million under management or advisory, generating more than $7 billion in economic growth, enhancing infrastructure, developing tourism, strengthening institutions, and improving the lives of millions worldwide. A Global Travel Hall of Fame inductee, he currently spearheads Chemonics' economic development consulting activities in the GCC through its Saudi Arabia subsidiary Chemonics Arabia. An adjunct professor at The George Washington University School of Business, he teaches entrepreneurship, human capital development, and tourism and hospitality management. Ibrahim has advised on tourism-driven economic development in Uzbekistan, Nepal, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Timor-Leste, Egypt, Tunisia, the UAE, Lebanon, the US Virgin Islands, Solomon Islands, and El Salvador, and has managed U.S. Government-financed projects across the Middle East, Western Balkans, the Caucasus, and Latin America. As Senior Economic Growth Director and Global Tourism Lead for Chemonics International, present in over 100 countries, Ibrahim advises governments and partners on investment, tourism growth, and crisis response, including Ukraine’s wartime economic development and MENA’s post-crisis tourism strategies. He also serves as a board member and co-chair of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce International Trade Committee. Ibrahim has led complex, high-impact projects globally. From 2020 to 2023, he directed the U.S.-financed “Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” living in Sarajevo to guide COVID-19 recovery of the country’s largest sector. His leadership positioned Bosnia internationally for growth, spurring new aviation routes and experiences marketed by global tour operators. From 2017 to 2020, he directed the $24 million USAID Lebanon Enterprise Development Project, driving production, investment, sales, tourism, exports, and rural development. From 2005 to 2017, Ibrahim designed and led the largest U.S.-government-financed tourism portfolio worldwide, a $120 million program in Jordan that expanded the tourism economy by several billion dollars. His global recognition includes service on the UN Tourism Panel of Experts, the UN Foundation’s World Heritage Alliance (where he co-designed UNESCO’s People Protecting Places campaign), and the Global Resilience Council. He has also served on the board of Jordan’s Development and Employment Fund and received the King Abdullah II Award for Entrepreneurship. Ibrahim is a frequent speaker at international forums such as the World Bank, EBRD, World Travel Market, ITB, and Adriatic Chambers. He co-led the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism Global Forum with the World Bank and Government of Jamaica and is a member of the international “Tourism Employment Mandate” coalition. Earlier, Ibrahim supported Egypt’s first business reform agenda since the socialist era, strengthened 12 chambers of commerce, and co-founded Injaz, a youth entrepreneurship initiative modeled on Junior Achievement, now reaching 7 million youths across more than 12 MENA countries. Previously, he was Executive Director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce in the U.S. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan (Finance and Economics), The George Washington University (Master of Tourism Administration), and the University of London (Graduate Diploma in International Business Law and Arbitration).