A cohort of 25 of the best and brightest young African leaders came to campus this summer to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship program at Rutgers.
Rutgers University welcomed 25 of Africa’s emerging leaders to campus this summer for a six-week Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership in Business Institute, which is 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. Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2024. Rutgers has the distinction of having been chosen as an Institute Partner every year since the program’s inception. We are proud to be connected with 400 alumni who have participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship program at Rutgers University.
The 2024 Rutgers Mandela Washington Fellows brought with them a wealth of talents and interests, and represented 18 African countries: Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This year’s Fellows were focused on projects focused on refugee support, youth advocacy, public health, tech and gaming, filmmaking, environmental sustainability, and more.
The Leadership in Business Institute was led by Kevin Lyons, associate professor specializing in supply chain management at Rutgers Business School and Johanna Bernstein, assistant dean for faculty engagement at Rutgers Global.
“This year’s cohort was an incredibly collaborative group,” remarked Bernstein. “There was a new focus on the business of the creative arts and its impact on the community, along with other areas this year.”
The 2024 Program
Over the six weeks of the program, the Fellows participated in a full schedule of lectures, joint projects and presentations, networking events, visits to local and regional organizations, and community service opportunities.
A highlight of this year’s program was the Multi-Institute Meet-Up on July 14 with Mandela Washington Fellowship cohorts from Drexel University, University of Delaware, and Lehigh University. The cohorts were able to connect and work together on a hackathon-style challenge on climate and global health organized by RWJBarnabas Health. Guest speakers included Dr. Ernani Sadural, Director of Global Heath at RWJBarnabas, Taonga Chanda, a 2024 Rutgers Mandela Washington Fellow, and opening remarks by Rick Garfunkel, Vice President for Global Affairs at Rutgers.
The community service component this year offered the opportunity for the Fellows to connect and collaborate with students from The Governor's School of New Jersey in Engineering & Technology at Rutgers University, an intensive residential summer program that brings together some of New Jersey's most talented and motivated high school students. The groups met up three times to work together on developing a model urban area, taking into account the key features of a smart city. One of the Fellows, Marie Pierre Thiam, helped to design the activities and lead the collaborative work between the students and Fellows (learn more about Marie below).
Regional trips for the Fellows included visits to the Rutgers-Newark campus, day trips to New York City and the Jersey Shore, and tours of key arts organizations, including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and the Newark Symphony Hall.
The Fellows were also invited to a networking reception at the home of Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway, where they were able to meet and engage with the President as well as Rutgers faculty and staff and enjoy a traditional American barbecue.
This year’s program culminated with a farewell dinner at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center where the Fellows reflected on their time at Rutgers and prepared for their final stop in Washington, DC, for the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit. A memorable part of the farewell dinner was hearing the Fellows sing a rousing rendition of the Rutgers fight Song (RU Rah Rah!).
Visit our Flickr page to see photos of these events.
Meet a Few of this Year’s Fellows
Donat Patrick Bugingo from Uganda has over 10 years of experience in manufacturing and innovation and is the team-lead at Aloesha Organic Natural Health Products, a 12-year-old manufacturing family business. He is also a lecturer of French and Marketing at Makerere University Business School. In 2020, he and his wife established Donswift Company Limited, a full-service business consultancy specializing in recruitment, training, and human capital development. Their focus is sourcing top-tier talent for businesses and corporate entities to aid their expansion and development. He has spearheaded projects in the Yumbe District in Uganda, successfully building cohesion between the refugees in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement and the host community through the GROW Project supported by the World Bank. After completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Donat is planning to establish a business incubation center where he will support youth-led businesses to kick-start their efforts from ideation stage until they hit the market with their first product or service.
Marie Pierre Thiam from Senegal has five years of experience in science, technology, video games, and mathematics. She is currently the lead game designer for Senegal's Game Hub. Marie, who holds degrees in computer science as well as mechanical and aerospace engineering, is committed to advancing diversity and inclusivity in STEM fields. She is the founder of Lingeer Gaming, West Africa's pioneering organization advocating for greater female representation in the gaming industry, and founder of Ashita, a mobile classroom that teaches young students the fundamentals of robotics, programming, the Internet of Things, digital art, and video game development. Marie has contributed to a variety of game design projects, including Detective Syra, Poop Trivia, 50/50, and Picasso Biir Dakar, all of which aim to promote diversity and African culture through gaming. Following the completion of her Mandela Washington Fellowship, Marie plans to continue her mission of empowering young developers and fostering the long-term growth of the video game industry in Senegal and beyond.
Godisamang Khunou from South Africa has over 10 years of experience in film and television and is the owner of Mogale Pictures. She is a film director, producer, and writer, and her stories examine different ways that patriarchy impacts women. Godi has worked with NGOs like Girls in Film, The Writers Guild of South Africa, and SWIFT, and is committed to the representation of African feminism. Another filmmaker, Moses Thuranira Thiaine from Kenya has more than five years of experience in documentary filmmaking and arts education in Northern Kenya, and founded Isiolo TV and the Isiolo Advocacy Network. He is a dedicated youth activist who works with organizations such as ActionAid Kenya and The Wishing Well Company. After the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Moses intends to open a youth hub center in his community that will provide arts, film, technical training, and alternative livelihood programs for empowerment.
Watch a video of these four Mandela Washington Fellows as they discuss their projects.
“The Mandela Washington Fellowship is one of our most important programs,” noted Vice President for Global Affairs Eric Garfunkel. “We have been so fortunate to host cohorts of Fellows since 2014 and, as a result, now have a robust Rutgers University Mandela Washington Fellowship alumni community, of which we are very proud. Through this alumni community, we encourage our many Rutgers Fellows to network with each other and Rutgers faculty to create meaningful partnerships with each other all over Africa.” Garfunkel added, “The work that these young leaders who participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship program do is truly transformative.”
More about the Mandela Washington Fellowship at Rutgers
Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX, the Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institutes offer programs that challenge, motivate, and empower young leaders from Africa to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.
The flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), the Mandela Washington Fellowship empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement. 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 its inception in 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 Rutgers will be part of a group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted at 28 educational institutions across the United States this past summer.
For additional information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institutes at Rutgers University please contact Johanna Bernstein (jrbernst@global.rutgers.edu) and visit our Mandela Washington Fellowship webpage.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of 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 mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.