The Mandela Washigton Fellowship, launched in 2014, is the main program of the Young African Leaders (YALI) initiative and embodies the commitment of the United States of America to invest in the future of Africa, according to a press release from the diplomatic mission in Angola.
At the scholarship recipients' farewell ceremony, the US ambassador to Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe, Tulinabo Mushingi, said that the US government's exchange programs are a fundamental part of diplomacy in action.
“Reenergized partnerships require the involvement of people and that is what exchange programs like the Mandela Washington Fellowship do: move people, to move ideas,” said Tulinabo Mushingi, announcing that “the Biden administration is committed to working with the U.S. Congress to provide an additional $100 million to YALI to support innovative African youth and women to excel and transform their communities.”
To the scholarship holders, the US diplomat also highlighted that after training they are more apt to unique funding opportunities to promote their work, expressing support in raising their initiatives.
According to the note, the 2023 scholarship will feature 28 institutes under the auspices of educational institutions in the United States, in the fields of business, civic engagement and public management.
“These institutions represent the diversity of US higher education and include public and private schools, rural and urban campuses of small and large student populations. The six-week institutes, hosted on university campuses across the United States, will support the development of fellows' leadership skills through academic study, workshops, mentorship, networking with US leaders, and collaboration with local community members,” indicates the document.
The YALI program has already benefited 99 Angolans and 23 São Toméans, since 2014, who at the end of the program return home “to transform their communities and stronger and more engaged teams, aiming to create an impact”.
Since 2014, nearly 5800 young leaders from all sub-Saharan African countries have participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
