Alumna, Nigerian Development Advocate Wins 2026 Rhodes Scholarship

Fatima Yunusa (SFS'24), a public policy researcher, has won the 2026 Rhodes Scholarship - the world's oldest and most competitive international scholarship.

Yunusa is one of threerecipients of the 2026 Rhodes Scholarship in West Africa. She is also among more than 30 other Georgetown students and alumni who have received the scholarship. Since 2019, Georgetown has produced eight Rhodes Scholars, including last year's recipient Noa Offman (C'25).

The scholarship selects promising young people from around the world who demonstrate integrity, leadership, character, intellect and a commitment to service to study at the University of Oxford.

"I'd like to extend my congratulations to Fatima on her extraordinary accomplishment of becoming a Rhodes Scholar," said Georgetown Interim President Robert M. Groves. "Fatima's commitment to uplifting others combined with her focus on public policy and public service exemplifies Georgetown's highest ideals, and we look forward to seeing what she will accomplish."

Yunusa graduated from Georgetown University in Qatar in 2024 and now works for the US-Qatar Business Council - Doha as a programs associate. In her role, she connects with public and private sector stakeholders on issues like bilateral trade, international cooperation and economic development in developing countries.

As a Rhodes Scholar, Yunusa wants to build on her skills through public policy and public policy research graduate programs. She said she hopes to contribute to her home country's national development.

"I'm feeling amazing and excited because it's a huge opportunity. I'm excited to learn from public service practitioners from around the world," Yunusa said. "What I'm concerned about is poverty eradication, poverty and how it prevents people from living a life of dignity. My interest in development comes from recognizing that high-quality jobs and employment opportunities are the most sustainable way for poverty alleviation. Talent development is a means to an end. The real goal is poverty eradication."

Realizing Unfulfilled Potential

Yunusa grew up moving across different parts of Nigeria. Along the way, she noticed how highly skilled individuals in her community often lacked meaningful employment opportunities and were not equipped to transition from the classroom into productive jobs or entrepreneurship, which often led to poor life outcomes, she said.

Yunusa's experiences made her question what she could do to sustainably improve socioeconomic outcomes for people in her community.

"While talent development initiatives exist in the country, they are not sustainable enough to yield the scale of transformation necessary to secure the country's future. Existing initiatives are fragmented across sectors, often outdated or tied to political administrations rather than lasting institutional mandates," she said. "Nigeria must align its talent, market needs and position within the international economy to advance."

Through her education, Yunusa has sought to acquire the skills needed to reverse this trend and shape Nigerian public policy and economic development.

In high school, she led a team of classmates in an innovation challenge that taught young girls business modeling and coding skills in the context of economic development. After graduating, she attended the African Leadership Academy, a two-year program for talented African students to equip them with leadership, cultural and critical thinking skills to become changemakers.

At Georgetown, Yunusa majored in culture and politics while focusing on women and socioeconomic development. She conducted research on education policy in North Africa and the impact of Nigeria's Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act on women's socioeconomic outcomes.

After graduating, she interned with Libra Philanthropies in New York and collaborated with nongovernmental organizations on education, economic empowerment and sustainability initiatives. She also worked as a program assistant for an initiative that prepares Palestinian refugees for an English language proficiency exam.

"Fatima is a tireless scholar and advocate whose work reflects a profound commitment to expanding opportunities for people in her home community in Nigeria," said Lauren Tuckley, director of the Center for Research & Fellowships. "Her selection as a Rhodes Scholar is a testament to her vision and perseverance. We are thrilled for her, and we look forward to the meaningful contributions she will bring to public policy and development in Nigeria."

Yunusa currently works at the US-Qatar Business Council - Doha. In her role, she liaises between the public, private and NGO sectors on initiatives to strengthen Qatar's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and spur employment opportunities for vulnerable populations in developing countries.

She plans to bring all of her experiences to the United Kingdom as a Rhodes Scholar to inform her research. Her goal is to pursue a career that can leverage technology and help young people in Nigeria transition from education to full employment.

"My journey began with the frustration of seeing brilliant people constrained by faulty talent development systems. If we can prepare Nigerians to bridge education and industry, and create scalable innovations, we will accelerate individual and national advancement," she said. "The Rhodes Scholarship offers the education and network to scale this vision - ensuring that in my generation, talent in Nigeria will finally be met with the opportunities it deserves."