Rutgers University is proud to announce its selection as an Institute Partner for the 2020 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders for the seventh consecutive year. Beginning in mid-June, Rutgers will host 50 of Africa’s bright, emerging leaders in Business and Civic Engagement for two six-week Leadership Institutes, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. This summer marks Rutgers University’s fifth consecutive year of hosting two Institutes, and its selection as the only educational institution hosting two cohorts of 25 Fellows.
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. YALI was created in 2010 and is celebrating its 10th anniversary supporting young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.
Since 2014, through the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the U.S. Department of State has supported nearly 4,400 young leaders from across Sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaboration with U.S. professionals. The two cohorts of Fellows hosted by Rutgers 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 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, up to 70 competitively-selected Fellows will participate in four weeks of professional development at U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and government agencies.
The Institute for Leadership in Civic Engagement will be led by Ousseina Alidou, Department of African, Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Literature and the Center for African Studies; and Greg Costalas, Rutgers Global. The Institute for Leadership in Business will be led by Kevin Lyons, Rutgers Business School, and Johanna Bernstein, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Rutgers Global.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX, Leadership Institutes will offer programs that will challenge, motivate, and empower young leaders from Africa.