On August 15, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a gathering in Washington, D.C. to discuss U.S.-Africa relations and his recent trip to South Africa, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The discussion centered on how youth, the leaders of today and tomorrow, can positively impact the continent and foster long-term cooperation with the United States. Attendees included members of the African diaspora and Alumni of U.S. Department of State-sponsored international exchanges, including a small group of Mandela Washington Fellows.
For [the United States] now, this is not about what we do for Africa; it’s what we do with Africa… There is not a single issue that is really having an effect on the lives of [Americans] and on Africans – whether it is COVID that we’ve all been grappling with and global health more broadly, whether it’s climate change, whether it’s the impact of emerging technologies on all of our lives – not a single one of these issues can we effectively address alone.”
Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State
We’re proud to share that the following Fellowship Alumni, who are currently finishing their Professional Development Experiences (PDEs) in Washington, were included in the discussion:
- David Effiong, 2022 Fellow from Nigeria
- Gelica Inteca, 2022 Fellow from Mozambique
- Vera Maulidi, 2022 Fellow from Malawi
- Ndifoin “Beverly” Niyang, 2022 Fellow from Cameroon
- Siboniso Sibisi, 2022 Fellow from South Africa
Read Secretary Blinken’s full remarks.
