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Jennifer Ellen French
Public Relations Manager
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
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ATLANTA — Georgia State University has been selected as an Institute Partner for the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Beginning mid-June, the university’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies (AYSPS) and Office of International Initiatives will host 25 of Africa’s bright, emerging leaders for a six-week Leadership in Public Management Institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
The cohort of fellows hosted at Georgia State University will be part of a group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows hosted at 28 educational institutions across the United States. Two other Georgia universities were also chosen as partners: Clark Atlanta University with the Leadership in Business Institute and the University of Georgia with the Leadership in Civic Engagement Institute.
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 supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance and enhance peace and security across Africa. Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024. Since its inception, nearly 6,500 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship. Georgia State University has hosted the program eight times since 2015.
Highlights of the public management program at Georgia State will include fellows connecting with local partners and government agencies through site visits, collaborative projects and other events. They will give back to the Atlanta community through service opportunities at places like the Andrew and Walter Young YMCA, Goshen Valley Boys Ranch, Hope Givers Inc. and at a project in Woodruff Park for those experiencing homelessness.
After their Leadership Institutes, fellows will participate in 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 nonprofit sectors. Following the summit, up to 100 competitively selected fellows will participate in four weeks of professional development with 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 to tackle the challenges of the 21st century.
To learn more about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute and ways to partner with Georgia State, go to icepp.gsu.edu/what-we-do/mandela-washington-fellowship/ or contact Sharon Hill at [email protected].
The Mandela Washington Fellowship 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, visit mandelawashingtonfellowship.org and join the conversation at #YALI2024.