The U.S. Department of State and IREX are pleased to welcome the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders cohort to the United States.

The 2025 Mandela Washington Fellows were competitively selected from a pool of over 58,000 applicants, representing the best and brightest young leaders from across Sub-Saharan Africa.  The approximately 620 Fellows are leaders in agriculture, business, civil society, education, energy, healthcare, technology, trade, security, and other fields.

Fellows will participate in six-week Leadership Institutes at 26 U.S. educational institutions in 21 states.  Throughout the program, Fellows will develop lasting connections with Americans while enhancing their skills through leadership training, academic study, and networking.  Fellows also enrich their U.S. host communities by engaging in weekly community service activities throughout the Fellowship.

Following the Institutes, up to 85 competitively selected Fellows will join private, public, and nonprofit organizations across the country for a four-week Professional Development Experience (PDE).  These placements allow Fellows to learn from U.S. experts in their fields while also contributing their skills and insights to U.S. organizations. 

Fellows continue to strengthen their skills and partnerships with Americans after they return home through access to ongoing professional development, networking, and collaboration opportunities for Alumni.  American professionals may also apply to travel to Africa to complete project-based collaborations with Fellowship Alumni through the Reciprocal Exchange component.

To get involved in Fellowship activities near you, please contact MWFellowship@irex.org.

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 about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.