The U.S. Embassy in Harare says 30 Zimbabweans have been invited to participate in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
In a statement, the embassy said these outstanding young Zimbabwean leaders will travel to the U.S. this June with over 470 other young African leaders for a six-week program at one of 20 prestigious U.S. universities followed by a conference in Washington, DC hosted by President Barack Obama.
Ambassador Bruce Wharton hosted the Zimbabwean youth leaders selected to be part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI).
The group, which includes civil society leaders, journalists and entrepreneurs are scheduled to leave the country in June this year where they will meet President Obama and American government and business leaders.
The current group includes young leaders in business and civil society drawn from various parts of Zimbabwe. The participants went through a rigorous application process which included interviews with Embassy staff.
The first class of Mandela Washington Fellows spent six weeks of intensive executive leadership training, networking, and skills building, followed by a Presidential Summit in Washington, DC. Among them was Takunda Chingonzoh, who also got an opportunity to interview President Obama at the U.S. – Africa Business Forum.
Through this initiative, young Zimbabwean leaders are gaining the skills and connections they need to accelerate their own career trajectories and contribute more robustly to strengthening democratic institutions, spurring economic growth, and enhancing peace and security in Africa.