About the Mandela Washington Fellowship

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), which empowers young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and support for activities in their communities. Those selected for the program have promoted innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, or communities.

Locally, peer collaborators, selected from metro Atlanta’s business, civic, and government agencies, partner with Mandela Washington Fellows and provide hands-on experience related to these models and best practices through the program.

Highlights planned for the program in the Andrew Young School will include:

• academic courses in policy analysis, ethics in public administration, and citizen participation, coupled with innovative leadership training;
• community service opportunities at organizations such as the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA and MedShare;
• peer collaborations with area business, academic, community, and thought leaders;
• site visits to state and local government authorities, corporations, and NGO’s located in Atlanta like the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, Supreme Court of Georgia, United Way of Greater Atlanta, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta;
• social activities, such as visits to the CNN Center, Georgia Aquarium, and World of Coca-Cola.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a U.S. government program supported in its implementation by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). Working closely with the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational Affairs and IREX, host institutions have designed academic programs that will challenge, inspire, and empower these inspiring young leaders and help drive positive change across Africa and the world.

Those fellows hosted in Atlanta will be part of a larger group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted across the United States this summer. The program will close with a summit in Washington, D.C.