In a Monday town hall with participants, the President will announce that the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders will be renamed in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela.
ABAGUSII GLOBAL RADIO PIC COURTESY OF JACOB DUNDOS OUMA JOBBY, JAMES MAKINI.
With 60 percent of Africa’s population under the age of 35, young people stand to play as important a role in their respective nations’ success there as anywhere else in the world.
On Monday, 500 of them, who have spent the summer honing their skills at U.S. universities, will have an audience with the President.
THE FELLOWSHIP (ABAGUSII GLOBAL RADIO)
Obama will hold a town hall with the inaugural participants in Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, an initiative he announced in 2013 as part of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), White House officials say. The program is designed to connect 25-35 year olds identified as “Sub-Saharan Africa’s most promising young leaders ages 25 to 35” with “established records of accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries” to leadership training opportunities at American universities.
The meeting with these emerging leaders will include a tribute to an iconic one. In addition to announcing new public-private partnerships to support the fellow, White House officials say the President will announce that the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders program will be renamed in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela.
While the fellows’ Washington, D.C. placements conclude at the end of July, Monday’s town hall doesn’t represent the end of their participation in the program. YALI regional coordinators based at U.S. Embassies throughout Africa are expected to provide fellows with tools to support their continued work when they return to their home countries.
ABAGUSII GLOBAL RADIO COURTESY OF SAM ABUGA MWEBERI
The YALI Summit, taking place at Washington D.C.’s Omni Shoreham. precedes next week’s inaugural U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the largest gathering any U.S. President has held with African heads of state and government.
We from africa and the Abagusii Global Radio family and Kenyans at large are happy for you.Wherever you are keep your country’s mantle up! Kudos.
(The Root) Orina Ontiri.