Meet the 2023 Leadership Impact Award Winner
Jamila Mayanja, 2015 Fellowship Alumna, is a social entrepreneur and educator who empowers women and girls to transform their lives and communities across Uganda.
Learn MoreA Program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Official website of the U.S. Department of State's Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
Jamila Mayanja, 2015 Fellowship Alumna, is a social entrepreneur and educator who empowers women and girls to transform their lives and communities across Uganda.
Learn More2021 Alumnus Abdallah Mabrouck combines digital technology and direct support to deliver agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers in Tanzania.
Learn MoreLearn more about 2023 Alumna Rose Joseph’s Fellowship experience in her own words.
Learn More2018 Fellowship Alumnus Nigel Savel’s non-profit organization is helping promote positive change across Cape Town’s coastal townships.
Learn MoreRead about 2022 LIA Winner Marie Christina Kolo’s experience at COP 27 in this photo essay.
Learn MoreThe Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). YALI was created in 2010 and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2020. Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship has brought nearly 6,500 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States for academic and leadership training. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished innovators and leaders in their communities and countries.
Learn MoreThe Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.
Brian Waihenya is a 2023 Fellowship Alumnus from Kenya. Brian is a writer and disability rights advocate, focusing on creating awareness about issues faced by people who are disabled in...
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August 7, 2023
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August 2, 2023
“I believe that the Mandela Washington Fellowship has made me a stronger and better leader and has challenged me to think outside the box… There can only be more, bigger, and better to come from me, my fellow Fellows, and the continent of Africa as a whole.”
– Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumna
Learn more about the 2024 Fellowship selection timeline and process, eligibility information, and more. We can't wait to meet the next Mandela Washington Fellows!
Learn moreApplication Deadline
Semifinalists interviewed by local U.S. embassies and consulates
Applicants are notified of their status
Finalist visa processing and Pre-Fellowship Orientations
Fellowship begins in the United States
Including Fellows, Reciprocal Exchange Participants, and U.S. Partners
Explore Fellowship Directory