Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders

Young African Leaders Initiative

Application closes: January 27, 2014

Participating countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The Washington Fellowship is the new flagship program of the President Barak Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).  This program will bring over 500 young leaders to the United States each year, beginning in 2014, for leadership training, academic coursework, and mentoring, and will create unique opportunities in Africa to put those new skills to practical use in propelling economic growth and prosperity and strengthening democratic institutions.

Benefits:

·         Interact with President Obama at a Presidential Summit in Washington, D.C.

·         Participate in a 6-week intensive academic and leadership program at a U.S. institution;

·         Meet with U.S. government, civic, and business leaders;

·         Access exceptional internship and apprenticeship opportunities;

·         Expand your business or project through access to millions of dollars for small grant funding; and

·         Join a continent-wide and global alumni network to help you seek innovative solutions to common challenges.

THE CRITICAL SECTORS

1.       Business and Entrepreneurship: designed for aspiring entrepreneurs who hope to take on leadership roles within the private sector or start their own business ventures on the continent.

2.       Civic Leadership: oriented to young Africans who are civically engaged and serve the public through non-governmental organizations, and/or volunteer or community-based organizations.

3.       Public Management: tailored to young Africans who work or aspire to work in all levels of government, regional organizations such as the African Union, international bodies such as the United Nations, or other publicly-minded entities or think tanks.

Leaders will attend U.S. universities for an academic institute in one of three areas: business and entrepreneurship; civic leadership; and public management.  Coursework and training in each of these sectors will focus on the skills young African leaders need to run better ministries, start and grow businesses, and serve their communities. The initiative will grow to 1,000 young leaders each year. Washington Fellows will spend six weeks at top American universities and colleges that will provide tailored programs in the sectors above, leveraging top faculty, cutting-edge curricula, and local opportunities to impart practical professional and leadership skills.

Formal university institutes will be augmented by workshops, mentoring, and networking opportunities with leaders in each field, as well as internships across the United States. For example, U.S. agencies such as the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Export-Import Bank have offered to host Washington Fellows as interns to expose them to the U.S. workplace and practices, and build their technical skills. The Fellows will also have the chance to interact with the President during an annual Summit in Washington, D.C., along with other senior U.S. government, business, and civic leaders.

It is advisable to download the list of application instructions HERE before applying

Application is on. APPLY HERE

If you have questions about the application, send an  ENQUIRY E-MAIL