UEW Graduate Wins Prestigious Global Sustainability Award
Isaac Arthur, a 2025 graduate of the Department of ICT Education at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has been named the winner of the QS ImpACT Plastic-Free Future of the Year Award 2025, a distinguished global honour recognising outstanding youth-led innovations advancing environmental sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The 2025 QS ImpACT Awards attracted more than 530 applications from 68 countries. Isaac emerged as the top global winner with his project, PLASTIGEM, an initiative that proposes a circular-economy solution to plastic pollution. The project recycles plastic waste into affordable agricultural tools and equipment while promoting sustainable farming practices and creating new economic opportunities for waste collectors.
PLASTIGEM’s innovation and potential were evident long before this global recognition. Earlier this year, the project placed 2nd Runner-Up in the 2025 UEW Business Pitch Competition, reflecting the initiative’s feasibility and promise within the University’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
As part of the QS ImpACT Award package, Isaac will receive seed funding to advance the next phase of PLASTIGEM’s development. He will also join monthly mentorship and progress sessions with the QS ImpACT team to strengthen and scale the initiative.
Isaac’s achievement underscores his leadership, creativity and commitment to environmental action. It also affirms UEW’s role in nurturing bold, solution-driven graduates who contribute meaningfully to national and global development.