The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African
Leaders, inaugurated in 2014, is the flagship program of President Obama’s
Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
YALI was launched in 2010 to support
young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic
governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.
In the summer of 2016, the Mandela Washington
Fellowship will double in size to bring 1,000 young African leaders to the
United States for academic coursework and leadership training. The selected
Fellows will travel to U.S. university and college campuses for six-week
academic and leadership Institutes in one of three tracks: Business and
Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership, or Public Management. New in 2016 will also
be the pilot for a specialized Institute on Energy.
The intensive Institute
model includes linkages between academic sessions, site visits, professional
networking opportunities, community service, and organized cultural activities
to maximize learning and cultural exchange.
“Our hope is, that 10, 15, 20 years from now…you’ll not only be making a difference in your own countries, but you’ll be the foundation of a new generation of global leadership,"
– President Barack Obama, Mandela Washington Fellowship Presidential Summit, Washington, DC, August 2015
Selected from nearly 50,000 applications in 2014 and
nearly 30,000 in 2015, Mandela Washington Fellows include innovative young
entrepreneurs, NGO leaders, community activists, journalists, and civil
servants from urban and rural communities in all 49 sub-Saharan African
countries.
The Fellowship is a life-changing experience for
these young African leaders. A 2015 Fellow from Uganda remarked, “It was the
best experience of my life so far. I learned so much about myself as an
individual and about my fellow African youth leaders.
It is something that will
surely enable me to become a better leader and a better individual.” Fellows
make lasting connections with Americans and with each other, both
professionally and personally. Another 2015 Fellow from Nigeria commented, “My
network has become broad and global and I have been shown how to leverage
[it].”
For more information and how to apply, please visit YALI website. You can also get updates at YALI Facebook Fan Page and Twitter.
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