Former Oxford Engineering Science student awarded African Leadership Fellowship

Engineering student Bradley Poku-Amankwah (MSc Energy Systems, 2023–25, Kellogg College) has been awarded an African Leadership Fellowship by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

The prestigious fellowship places Bradley at the African Development Bank, where he will work alongside the executive cabinet and receive mentorship from the Bank’s President during a period of historic transition in leadership.

Reflecting on the award, Bradley said: “As a Mo Ibrahim Fellow at the African Development Bank, I will gain first-hand insight into the leadership of Africa’s premier Development Finance Institution. It’s a once in a lifetime experience, especially as I am witnessing the handover between two Presidents of the Bank – which only happens every decade.”

Bradley’s academic journey at Oxford was closely tied to his professional work. Alongside his MSc in Energy Systems, he previously led the Ghana Country Office for the United Nations initiative, Sustainable Energy for All. His dissertation research focused on developing a roadmap for Ghana to achieve universal electricity access, with a particular emphasis on last-mile solutions for remote island communities along the Volta Lake.

He credits the MSc programme’s part-time structure and his college’s supportive community as key to his success. “I had the benefit of learning across two cohorts, which gave me a wider network of colleagues from different nationalities and professional backgrounds. [Kellogg] College’s warm and inviting atmosphere made balancing study with work far easier – it felt like a hub I could always come home to.”