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The President announced during the town hall that the Washington
Fellowship was
being renamed as the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young
African Leaders, in honor of the former South African
President, Nelson Mandela. Mandela Washington Fellows
represent the best and brightest from communities across
Africa, and fields ranging from education, medicine, law,
business, and beyond. These are the young leaders whose
skills, passion, and visions for the future, will help shape
the fate of their countries and the world. It is in
everyone’s best interest to help them prepare with the tools
they need to build a healthier, more secure, more
prosperous, and more peaceful Africa, which is why President
Obama launched YALI in the first place.
President Obama also took last month’s opportunity to
preview another historic event planned for later in the
summer. The U.S.-Africa
Leaders Summit was
hosted in Washington this past week by President Obama
represented the largest gathering any American president has
ever hosted with African heads of state and government.
The President pointed out:
“Even as we deal with crises and challenges in other parts
of the world that often dominate the headlines; even as we
acknowledge the real hardships that so many Africans face
every day -- we have to make sure that we’re all seizing the
extraordinary potential of today’s Africa, the youngest and
fastest-growing continent.”
“YALI is about capitalizing on the creativity and talent of
Africa’s young leaders by empowering them with the skills,
training, and technology necessary to make lasting change,
and meaningful progress back home. And to do so, we are
engaging public and private sector partners to create new
Regional Leadership Centers across Africa to reach more
young leaders. We’re joining with American universities,
African institutions and business partners like Microsoft
and MasterCard Foundation. Starting next year, young
Africans can come to these centers to network, access the
latest technology, and get training in management and
entrepreneurship. The first centers will be located in
Senegal, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya -- and will provide
tens of thousands of young Africans the resources they need
to put their ideas into action.
“As last year came to a close, the world said goodbye to one
of the brightest lights the world has ever known --
President Nelson Mandela. His life was proof of the power
within each of us to leave the world better than we found
it. Yet, as that brilliant star dimmed, we now have the
opportunity to see 500 more shine brightly this week.”
One of this summer’s Fellows, Sobel Ngom from Senegal,
captured the spirit of his experience in the YALI program
this way: “Here, I have met Africa. The [Africa] I have
always believed in. She is beautiful, young, full of talent,
motivation and ambition.”
And being here with all of his Fellow Mandela Washington
Fellows -- learning together, working together, dreaming
together -- has only strengthened his determination, he
says, to realize his aspirations for his country and his
continent.
The 500 fellows come from 49 different sub-Saharan African
nations. The number of participants is expected to increase
to 1,000 in 2016.
A continent on the move, in recent years Africa has seen
real incomes increase by 30 percent after two decades of
decline; trade with the rest of the world has increased by
200 percent; HIV infections have declined by 40 percent and
malaria deaths among young children have declined by 50
percent.
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