Mandela Washington Fellowship
About the Program
The Mandela Washington Fellowship—a 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, 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. Rutgers has been chosen as an Institute Partner each year since the program’s inception in 2014 and is connected to our robust alumni community.
Mandela Washington Fellowship 2025
Rutgers University is proud to announce its selection for the 11th year as an Institute Partner for the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Beginning in mid-June, Rutgers will host 25 of Africa’s 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, builds skills through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, and networking. Fellows enrich local U.S. communities while sharing best practices.
Visit the Mandela Washington Fellowship website to learn more about this year’s cohort.
Civic Engagement Institute
The Civic Engagement Institute of the Mandela Washington Fellowship at Rutgers includes a curriculum developed through a partnership between Rutgers Global, the School of Social Work, and the Center for African Studies.
Leadership in Business Institute
The Leadership in Business Institute at Rutgers includes a curriculum developed through a partnership between Rutgers Global, the Rutgers Business School, and the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
Rutgers Mandela Washington Fellowship Virtual Reunion 2020
In 2020, Rutgers Global hosted the first-ever Rutgers University Mandela Washington Fellowship Virtual Reunion. Rutgers has hosted cohorts of Mandela Washington Fellows since the inception of the program in 2014. There are now 400 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni of the Rutgers Programs, representing a significant number of Fellows who are engaging in transformational work on the continent. This reunion offered our Fellows the opportunity to reconnect, share information and updates, and make new connections.
