Fully Funded YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship 2020 in USA for Young African Leaders

YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship 2020 in USA: Application is now open for interested applicants for the YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship 2020 for Young African Leaders to be taken in USA summer of 2020. The fellowship program which is aimed at training young African leaders by means of coursework, leadership training and network building also comes with a lot of other benefits. It is a fully funded program for young and enthusiast African Leaders. If you are interested to participate, read through the eligibility criteria and apply.

Fellowship Sponsor(s): U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Fellowship to be taken at: USA.

Fellowship Type: Fully Sponsored Program.

Age of Participation: Please see eligibility

Slots: 700 participants.

Scholarship Worth: Full Sponsorship

Subject Eligibility: Not Applicable.

Country/Candidate Eligibility: Participants should be from one of the following; Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe;.

English Language Requirement: Not Applicable.

Apply Also For: World Bank Group (WBG) 2020 Postgraduate Fellowship Program for Young Africans

About the Fellowship:

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program for Young Africans Leaders Initiative (YALI) which begun in 2014 with a view to empower young people through academic coursework, leadership training and building of network. The fellowship will bring up to 700 young leaders to the United States in the summer of 2020 for a comprehensive executive-style program that is designed to build skills and empower Fellows to lead in their respective sectors and communities.

Each Fellow participates in six-week Leadership Institutes, studying Business, Civic Engagement, or Public Management at U.S. colleges or universities.  During their time on campus, Fellows connect with Americans and enrich local U.S. communities while sharing best practices.

After the Institutes, Fellows convene for a multi-day Summit in Washington, D.C., where they forge connections with one another and U.S. leaders from the private, public, and non-profit sectors, setting the stage for long-term engagement between the United States and Africa.  A group of competitively-selected Fellows remains in the United States for four weeks to work with private, public, and non-profit organizations.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria:

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is open to young African leaders and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, colour, gender, religion, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Applicants for the YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship 2020 in USA are eligible to apply if they meet the following criteria:

• Are between the ages of 25 and 35 on or before the application deadline, although exceptional applicants ages 21-24 will be considered;
• Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States;
• Are eligible to receive a United States J-1 visa;
• Are not employees or immediate family members of employees of the U.S. Government (including a U.S. embassy or consulate, USAID, and other U.S. Government entities);
• Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English (applicants who are deaf should refer to the English Language instructions on the Resources page);
• Are citizens and residents of eligible countries given above; and
• Are not Alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Recommended Opportunities:

1. International Students Scholarship at Clark University, United States of America
2. Fully Funded Smithsonian Institution Graduate Fellowship Program 2020 in USA
3. NVIDIA Funded International Postgraduate Research Fellowship Program 2020/2021 ($USD 50,000 funding)

Selection Criteria for the YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship 2020 in USA:

To be selected for participation in the YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship 2020 in USA, the following criteria will be used to evaluate applications (not in order of importance):

• A proven record of leadership and accomplishment in business, civic engagement, or public service;
• A demonstrated commitment to public or community service, volunteerism, or mentorship;
• The ability to work cooperatively in diverse groups and to respect the opinions of others;
• Strong social and communication skills;
• An energetic, positive attitude;
• A demonstrated knowledge of, interest in, and professional experience in the preferred sector/track; and
• A commitment to return to Africa and apply leadership skills and training to benefit the applicant’s country and/or community after they return home.

Program Benefits: The following are what participants in the YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship 2020 in USA will benefit;

• Participate in a six-week Leadership Institute at a U.S. college or
  university to share your experiences with and to learn from
  Americans and other Fellows.
• Explore industries beyond your daily work and expand your expertise.
• Attend a Summit with young African leaders in Washington, D.C.
• Meet with U.S. Government, civic, and business leaders.
• Strengthen your work through new connections, skills, and ideas.
• Join a continental and global Alumni network to help you seek innovative solutions to common challenges.

Application Timeline: October 9, 2019.

Visit the Official Webpage to Apply