The University of Iowa (UI) announced Wednesday, Feb. 7, that it has been selected as an Institute Partner for the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. This is the university’s eighth consecutive year taking part in the program.
Beginning in mid-June, UI will host 25 of Africa’s emerging business leaders for a six week Leadership Institute, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
According to a news release, some of the highlights of the UI program will include networking events and travel across Eastern Iowa, attending entrepreneurship and innovation training through Venture School.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement.
According to the release, YALI was created in 2010 and supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa. Since 2014, nearly 6,500 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
The cohort of fellows hosted by the University of Iowa will be part of a group of 700 Mandela Washington fellows hosted at 28 educational institutions across the United States.
After their Leadership Institutes, fellows will participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit, where they will take part in networking and panel discussions with each other and with U.S. leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Following the Summit, up to 100 competitively-selected fellows will participate in four weeks of professional development with U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.
