The Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development (NDIGD), part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, is proud to announce that it has been selected as an institute partner for the 2019 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Beginning in mid-June, NDIGD will host 25 of Africa’s bright, emerging business leaders for a six-week leadership institute, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
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. Since 2014, the U.S. Department of State has supported nearly 3,700 young leaders from 49 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaborations with U.S. professionals.
The cohort of Fellows hosted by NDIGD will be part of a group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted at 27 educational institutions across the United States. This summer, all Fellows will receive a letter from President Trump welcoming them to the United States for their program. At the conclusion of their leadership institutes, these exceptional young leaders will convene in Washington, D.C., for the sixth annual 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 non-profit sectors. Following the Summit, 70 competitively-selected Fellows will participate in four weeks of professional development at U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and working closely with its implementing partner, IREX, host institutions will offer leadership programs that will challenge, motivate, and empower these inspiring young leaders from Africa.
This will be NDIGD’s sixth time serving as an institute partner for the Mandela Washington Fellowship. NDIGD has been an institute partner ever since the establishment of the program in 2014. Some highlights of the NDIGD program will include:
- A rigorous business leadership institute that explores design thinking; social entrepreneurship; business modeling and planning; strategic leadership; personal and professional branding; and applying foresight and innovation, among other topics.
- Valuable networking experiences with hundreds of entrepreneurs; civic and community leaders; researchers; and academics throughout Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois.
- Site visits to dozens of different corporations, foundations, non-profits, and civic organizations across the region, where Fellows can observe the application of different academic topics taught in the business leadership institute in the real world.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit yali.state.gov/mwf and join the conversation at #YALI2019.
The Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development (NDIGD)—an integral part of the new Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame—works to address global poverty and inequality through policy, practice, and partnership.
Contact: Luis Ruuska, communications specialist, Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development, lruuska@nd.edu