Mandela Washington Fellowship 2023 – YALI

Deadline: September 13, 2022

Apply now for the Mandela Washington Fellowship 2023 to be a part of the next generation of African leaders!

The Mandela Washington Fellowship 2023 will bring up to 700 young leaders to the United States in the summer of 2023 for a comprehensive executive-style program designed to build skills and empower Fellows to lead in their respective sectors and communities.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Since 2014, nearly 5,800 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Fellowship. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished leaders and have established records of promoting innovation and positive impact in their communities and countries.

Fellowship Components

• Leadership Institutes
• Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit
• Professional Development Experiences (PDEs)
• Reciprocal Exchanges
• Opportunities for Alumni
• Virtual Programming

Benefits

The Fellowship is an unparalleled opportunity to…

• Participate in a six-week Leadership Institute at a U.S. college or university to share your experiences with and learn from U.S. citizens and other Fellows.
• Explore industries beyond your daily work and expand your expertise.
• Participate in a Summit with young African leaders.
• Meet with U.S. Government, civic, and business leaders.
• Strengthen your work through new connections, skills, and ideas.
• Join a continental and global Alumni Network to help you seek innovative solutions to common challenges.

Eligibility

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is open to young African leaders who meet the following criteria:

• Between the ages of 25 and 35 on or before the application deadline, although exceptional applicants ages 21-24 considered;
• Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States;
• Are eligible to receive a United States J-1 visa;
• Are not employees or immediate family members of employees of the U.S. Government (including a U.S. embassy or consulate, USAID, or other U.S. Government entity);
• Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English (additional guidance coming for applicants who are deaf);
• Are residents of one of the above countries; and
• Are not Alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
• Are citizens of one of the following countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe;

Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. 

More so, Fellows should not have dependents, including spouses and children, accompany them during the Fellowship.

Selection Process and Criteria

• The Mandela Washington Fellowship selection process is a merit-based open competition. 
• After the deadline, all eligible applications will be reviewed by independent readers. 
• Following this review, chosen semi-finalists get interviewed by the U.S. embassies or consulates in their home countries. 
• Selected semi-finalists required to participate in these in-person interviews in their home country within Africa. 
• If advanced to the semi-finalist round, applicants must provide a copy of their international passport (if available) or other government-issued photo identification at the time of the interview. 
• Selected Finalists required to attend the mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation in their home country within Africa.

Click here to apply

For further information visit official webpage.

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