Purdue University to Host 2020 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders

Purdue University is proud to announce its selection as an Institute Partner for the 2020 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.  Beginning in mid-June, Purdue University will host 25 of Africa’s bright, 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 (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 10^th 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 cohort of Fellows hosted by Purdue 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. 

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.

The Leadership Institute is a campus-wide collaboration, led by Discovery Park’s Center for Global Food Security in partnership with the Purdue Foundry, Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, International Programs in Agriculture, Office of Global Engineering Programs, and the colleges of Agriculture and Engineering. 

For additional information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute at Purdue University, please contact Gary Burniske at 765-494-0941 or grburniske@purdue.edu.  

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders 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 and join the conversation at #YALI2020.