YALI 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders

YALI 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders

Application Deadline: September 15, 2021

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). YALI was created in 2010 and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2020. Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship has brought nearly 4,400 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States for academic and leadership training. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished innovators and leaders in their communities and countries.

Benefits:

Leadership Institutes

During the Fellowship, the Fellows participate in six-week Leadership Institutes, studying Business, Civic Engagement, or Public Management hosted by U.S. colleges or universities.  Throughout the Institutes, Fellows enrich local U.S. communities while sharing best practices.  

Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit

After the Institutes, Fellows convene for a Summit, where they forge connections with one another and U.S. leaders from the private, public, and non-profit sectors, setting the stage for long-term engagement between the United States and Africa.  

Professional Development Experiences (PDEs)

Up to 100 competitively selected Fellows to work with private, public, and non-profit organizations for six weeks. Both Fellows and Hosts benefit from discussing shared issues and challenges in their sectors, broadening their perspectives, and positioning U.S. organizations for international engagement

Reciprocal Exchanges

U.S. citizens have the opportunity to apply to travel to Africa to collaborate on projects with Fellows, building upon connections initiated during the program. These partnerships and professional connections are intended to form lasting relationships, expand markets and networks, and increase mutual understanding.

Read Also: Apply for the World Bank Group’s Young Professionals Program (WBG YPP)

Opportunities for Alumni

Fellowship Alumni continue to build the skills and connections developed during the program through access to ongoing professional development, networking, and collaboration opportunities with support from the U.S. Department of State and affiliated partners.

Virtual Programming 

The Fellowship leverages stakeholder expertise to deliver a suite of virtual programming for selected candidates and Fellowship Alumni to support their continued leadership development and strengthen their access to networks and resources.

General and Application Inquiries

For general questions on the Mandela Washington Fellowship, please email us at MWFellowship@irex.org.

To learn more, visit mandelawashingtonfellowship.org