Ibrahim is an international economic development expert specializing in trade and investment promotion, enterprise competitiveness, business access to finance, youth entrepreneurship, organizational capacity strengthening, and tourism. He has managed projects exceeding $140 million in donor funding and, leveraging over $250 million from public, private, and international institutions, with impacts surpassing $7 billion in GDP growth. His work has reached over 5 million beneficiaries and supported thousands of families. Over 20 years, he led multiple USAID projects across the Middle East and Western Balkans, worked in or advised on initiatives in MENA, Southeast Europe, Caucuses, Latin America and Ukraine.

Now, he is Chemonics International’s Economic Growth & Trade Senior Advisor, focusing on Ukraine reconstruction and global business development, and serves as a Professor of Management at George Washington University School of Business. He also supported pioneering global employee stock ownership as member of Chemonics' advisory committee.

From 2020–2023, Mr. Osta led USAID's Developing Sustainable Tourism project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, driving COVID-19 recovery for its largest economic sector and positioning the destination for international growth. Previously, he directed the $24 million USAID Lebanon Enterprise Development Project, enhancing firms' growth, investment, and exports. From 2005–2017, he managed USAID’s $100+ million tourism portfolio in Jordan, growing the sector's economy by billions.

Globally recognized, Mr. Osta has served on the UNWTO Panel of Experts and the Governing Body of the UN Foundation World Heritage Alliance, co-creating the "People Protecting Places" campaign adopted by UNESCO. He co-led the UN International Year of Sustainable Tourism Global Forum and is a member of the Tourism Employment Expansion Mandate. In 2023, he was inducted into the Global Travel Hall of Fame. Earlier in his career, he was based in Egypt and spearheaded capacity-building initiatives of chambers of industry and contributed to Egypt's first private sector-led economic reform strategy since the socialist revolution in the 1950s. He was founding CEO of Injaz, a youth entrepreneurship organization now reaching over 6 million youth, and expanded to 12 Arab countries. Earlier, he was Executive Director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce in the U.S.