2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).  

President Obama launched YALI in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, which began in 2014, will bring up to 1000 young leaders to the United States in the summer of 2017 for academic coursework and leadership training and will create unique opportunities in Africa for fellows to put practical new skills to use in leading their organizations, communities, and countries. The Mandela Washington Fellowship includes:

(a) A six week Academic and Leadership Institute. Fellows are placed at U.S colleges and universities. Institutes will focus on skills development in one of three areas: Business and Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership, or Public Management. It is anticipated that one Public Management Institute will focus on Energy Policy (in collaboration with Power Africa).

(b) An optional six-week Professional Development Experience: As part of the Fellowship application, individuals may apply to participate in a professional development experience (PDE) at a U.S. company, civil society organization, or public sector agency in the United States. The PDE offers Fellows practical training and opportunity to learn transferable skills, expand their professional network, and apply concepts learned at the Institutes to real0world situations.  Up to 100 Mandela Washington Fellows will be selected for the Professional development Experience.

(c) A summit in Washington, DC: At the conclusion of the academic and leadership institute, all Fellows will participate in a high-level, three-day summit. The summit will take place in late July or early August 2017.

Selection Process

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is conducted as a merit-based open competition. After the deadline, all eligible applications will be reviewed by a selection panel. Chosen semi-finalists will be interviewed by the U.S. embassies or consulates in their home countries. If selected for an interview, applicants must provide a copy of their passport (if available) or other government-issued photo identification to verify eligibility.

Eligibility Requirements.

Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is open to young African leaders who meet the following criteria:

• Are between the ages of 25 and 35 at the time of application submission, although exceptional applicants younger than 25 will be considered.
• Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.
• Are eligible to receive a United States J-1 visa.
• Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English.
• Are citizens and residents of one of the following countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo 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. 

           Application Opens:  September 21^st 2016

          Application Closes: October 26, 2016

          For more information, visit https://yali.state.gov/washington-fellowship