Georgia State University Hosts Mandela Washington Fellows Through Young African Leaders Initiative
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Jennifer Ellen French
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Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
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ATLANTA—Twenty-five promising young professionals from 17 sub-Saharan African countries have arrived in Atlanta to attend Georgia State University’s Public Management Institute, part of a partnership in the Mandela Washington Fellowship, flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative.
Faculty of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies will provide these emerging young business, civic and public leaders with six weeks of academic and leadership training, introducing them to best practices in public management in government at all levels. They will build technical and leadership capacity in areas that include citizen engagement, human resources management and public financial management.
Each Fellow will partner with peer collaborators selected from metro Atlanta’s business, civic and government agencies who will provide practical experiences and lessons on best practices.
This is the third year the university has partnered with the U.S. Department of State and IREX to host the program, which former Fellows have praised in their evaluations.
“This immersion in U.S. culture is showing me the transformative power of inclusion and equality on a society,” said Lompo Martin of Burkina Faso. “It has strengthened my commitment to promote equality and inclusion in my country.”
The Fellows hosted by Georgia State this summer are among 1,000 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted in 38 universities across the United States this year. The program will close with a summit in Washington, D.C. Up to 100 Fellows will be chosen to remain to participate in six-week professional development experiences at U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies and government agencies.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. Department of State, administered by IREX. Georgia State University is a sub-grantee of IREX and is supporting the U.S.-based academic program of the Fellowship. Find us at #YALI2017, #MandelaFellows and #ExchangeOurWorld.