The Washington Fellowship is the new flagship program of the President’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). This program will bring over 500 young African leaders to the United States each year, beginning in 2014, for leadership training, academic coursework, and mentoring on 20 university campuses across the country. In addition, the program will create unique opportunities for Washington Fellows to put new skills to practical use in propelling economic growth and prosperity and strengthening democratic institutions in Africa.
Washington Fellows will attend US universities for a summer institute in one of three areas: business and entrepreneurship; civic leadership; or public management. Academic coursework and leadership training in each of these sectors will focus on the skills young African leaders need to start and grow businesses, serve their communities, and manage the public sector. The YALI Washington Fellowship will eventually grow to 1,000 young African leaders participating in summer institutes each year.
The University of Delaware Institute will focus on civic leadership. Twenty-five Washington Fellows will spend six weeks at the University of Delaware in an academically grounded program focused on practical skill building. Fellows will engage in community service and participate in site visits and cultural activities in Newark and Wilmington, elsewhere in Delaware and in nearby metropolitan areas. University of Delaware faculty in politics, public policy and administration, communication, black American studies, and applied economics will provide academic sessions and UD professional staff in information technology, human resources, development, communications and marketing and teaching and learning will provide leadership training.
The summer institutes will conclude with all Washington Fellows traveling to Washington D.C. to interact with President Obama during an annual summit. The summit will include senior U.S. government officials and business and civic leaders.