Media Contact
Jennifer Ellen French
Public Relations Manager
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies
[email protected]
ATLANTA — Twenty-five bright, emerging young professionals from 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have arrived at Georgia State University to participate in the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
The six-week Leadership in Public Management Institute at Georgia State kicks off Monday, June 24, with a welcome reception. During the next six weeks, the fellows will connect 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 during a cultural exchange with residents of The Melody, the first project of the City of Atlanta’s Rapid Housing Initiative.
The 2024 Mandela Washington Fellows participating in the Leadership in Public Management Institute at Georgia State University are:
| Name | Country | Position | Organization |
| Valdira Dinheiro | Angola | Social Protection Officer | UNICEF Angola |
| Pegdwende Sawadogo | Burkina Faso | Assistant Professor | Virtual University of Burkina Faso |
| Yibekal Abate | Ethiopia | Assistant Professor | Bahir Dar University Law School |
| Menen Abera | Ethiopia | Legal Head | Ethiopia National Election Board |
| Joseph Obeng-Asante | Ghana | Medical Laboratory Manager | Chiraa Government Hospital |
| Colette Amolo | Kenya | Study Coordinator | Kenya Medical Research Institute's Center for Microbiology Research |
| Morephe Santi | Lesotho | Advanced Nurse Practitioner | Partners in Health |
| Spencer Taylor Jr. | Liberia | Director, Division of Climate Change and Environment | Liberia's Ministry of Transport |
| Ndapile Mkuwu | Malawi | Instructor | The African Drone & Data Academy |
| Nandini Tanya Lallmon | Mauritius | Researcher-Practitioner | LGBTQIA+ rights policy and practice in African Small Island Developing States |
| Albertina Abiathar | Namibia | Registered Nurse Midwife, Founder | Eenhana District Hospital, Community Audio and Video Recording Health Education Program |
| James Akan | Nigeria | Board of Trustees | Citizens Outreach Nigeria and Partners of Citizens Engagement Africa |
| Ruth Soronnadi | Nigeria | Lawyer, Mediator & Administrator | Specializes in human rights advocacy and human capital development |
| Yahaya Suleiman | Nigeria | Community Manager | Zamfara State's 3 Million Technical Talent program |
| Reiche Elenga | Republic of the Congo | Molecular Biologist & Junior Bioinformaticist | National Public Health Laboratory |
| Mamadou Kane | Senegal | Program Director | Ashinaga, Senegal Office |
| Mariam Khanu | Sierra Leone | Mining Engineer | National Minerals Agency |
| Samukelisiwe Mbuthuma | South Africa | Attorney | High Court of South Africa, Office of the Chief Justice |
| Sebolaishi Senosha | South Africa | Deputy Director | Department of Higher Education and Training |
| Perpetua Senkoro | Tanzania | Program Officer | Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition |
| Titus Thobias | Tanzania | Senior Planning Engineer | Tanzania Railways Corporation |
| Haddy Drammeh | The Gambia | State Counsel | Attorney General's Chambers and Ministry of Justice |
| Rebecca Lem Aroukoume | Togo | Midwife | Notre Dame de la Misericorde Socio-Medical Center |
| Ivan Bwowe | Uganda | Managing Partner | Alto Advocates Law Firm |
| Moono Kawayo | Zambia | Associate Clinical Specialist | Morehouse School of Medicine |
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. At Georgia State, the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies (AYSPS) and Office of International Initiatives have partnered to run the institute, which it began hosting in 2015. Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2024.
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 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.