Karrah Herring, the director of public affairs at the University of Notre Dame, and some 100 guests from across the University and the greater South Bend area convened in Jenkins Nanovic Halls on June 24 to welcome the 25 participants in the 2019 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders at Notre Dame to the community.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Department of State’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The Fellowship is administered nationally by IREX. The Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development (NDIGD)—an integral part of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs—is a sub-grantee of IREX and has supported the U.S.-based academic program of the Fellowship at the University since 2014. At the end of July 2019 NDIGD will have graduated 150 Fellows from the program to date.
In her remarks, Herring discussed the lasting friendships and connections she has made with various Mandela Washington Fellows throughout the years. "While this program is designed to introduce the brightest, most intelligent, multi-talented, future leaders of the continent of Africa to hundreds of entrepreneurs, civic leaders, business leaders, and researchers here in the United States, the true gem for so many of us here on campus is talking with the Fellows over dinner and learning about the rich history of the various countries represented," explained Herring. "This program allows us to find the common ground among us that connects us at the most basic levels of human dignity, service, faith, and love."
Other speakers at the reception included Michael Sweikar, NDIGD’s executive director; Aaron Perri, director of South Bend Venues Parks & Arts (SBVPA); Scott Appleby, dean of the Keough School; and Melissa Paulsen, associate director of entrepreneurship and education programs at NDIGD.
This year’s Fellows—14 women and 11 men—come from 17 countries and share a common entrepreneurial spirit. All of them have established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their professional and personal communities.
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Adwoa Benedicta Koranteng is from Ghana and is the founder of the W.I.N.E. Project, Loop Consulting, and CitiFoods Limited.
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Affouet Carole Attoungbre is from Côte d’Ivoire and is a strategy consultant, as well as the country director for Eneza Education.
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Ambrose Kamya is from Uganda and is a student pursuing agricultural science at Makerere University, as well as the co-founder of SafeBangles.
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Babatunde Gabriel Oladosu is from Nigeria and is the CEO of EduBridge Academy.
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Bertha Sakhile Sithole is from eSwatini and is a public relations expert, as well as the director of Startup Grind’s Mbabane Chapter.
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Denaya Dennis Manoah Nigo is from South Sudan and is an award-winning musician, as well as the co-founder of Alela Technologies.
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Djemillah Mourade Peerbux is from Mauritius and is a news editor at the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, as well as the founder of The Ripple Project.
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Elisabeth Tchionga Florentino Capingala is from Angola and is the founder of Conversas de Mulheres (“Women Talk”).
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Emediong Bassey Nkanta is from Nigeria and is the founder and managing director of Jestone Consulting Limited.
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Esrom Tadesse Afrasa is from Ethiopia and is the managing director of Yelab Trading Solutions.
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Glenda Setshedi is from South Africa and is the co-founder and director of Career Active Training and Consulting.
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Jessica Timane Jose Luis Manhica is from Mozambique and is the CEO of IDEÁRIO Hub.
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Justina Paulo Guloia Luelo is from Angola and is currently in her final year of studying clinical psychology. Additionally, she is the founder of Limpo Limpo (“Clean Clean”).
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Laurent Salehe Shilingi is from Tanzania and is an assistant lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, as well as the co-founder and managing partner of Lasash Tanzania.
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Lebogang Manson is from Botswana and is the managing director of Sadibo Group, as well as the founder of Green Cleaning.
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Mamaroala Leah Molatseli Tsiane is from South Africa and is the founder of Lenoma Legal.
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Michael Malusa Kimollo is from Tanzania and is the co-founder and operations lead of Hype Interactive.
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Modupeoluwa Ruth Darabidan is from Nigeria and is the CEO of iStarter Hub Limited.
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Mpitseng Andrias Ntsoele is from Lesotho and is the founder of the College of Co-Operative Entrepreneurship and Business Studies.
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Rasheed Kasito is from Malawi and is the founder and CEO of Sanwecka Tech Companions.
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Sabelo Nare is from Zimbabwe and is a certified tax accountant with his own firm, Nare Tax, as well as a lecturer and author.
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Simbarashe Lovemore Mubvuma is from Zimbabwe and is a human rights and constitutional law attorney, as well as the founder of Lexware, Inc. and LawBasket.
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Solide Aganze Amuli is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the founder of TeknoHands.
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Thandeka Charlotte Msipa is from Zimbabwe and is the managing director of Imara Fiduciary (Private) Limited, a subsidiary of Imara Capital Zimbabwe.
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Tsigereda Woldemichael Mekuria is from Ethiopia and is a lecturer at Hawassa University (HU), as well as a certified entrepreneurship trainer for the Entrepreneurship Development Center of Ethiopia.
Full biographies of the 2019 Mandela Washington Fellows—as well as additional information about the Fellowship—are available at ndigd.nd.edu/MWF. Throughout the six-week program, the Fellows will take part in a rigorous Leadership in Business Institute; make dozens of site visits and network with hundreds of individuals across Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois; and complete several service learning projects.
Additional academic support for the Fellowship in 2019 is provided by the following on-campus and local area partners: the Keough School, the Mendoza College of Business, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, the ESTEEM Graduate Program, the IDEA Center, and South Bend startup generator INVANTI.
Additional funding and technical support for the Fellowship in 2019 is provided by the following private partners: Capism, IBM, and the Zielsdorf Family Partnership for Corporate Engagement.
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