Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders

The University of Texas at Austin has hosted the Leadership in Business Institute for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders since its launch in 2014. The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities and local community engagement.  YALI was created in 2010 and supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across the African continent. 

During the six weeks at UT Austin, 25 emerging leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa are immersed in a world-class Leadership in Business Institute in collaboration with the McCombs School of Business. The course content is enhanced by engaging with Austin companies, local nonprofits, and the community and culture in Austin. This dynamic and holistic program design increases the Fellows’ business acumen to address the complex issues facing the continent with the expressed goal of shaping the future of Africa – and the world.

UT Austin is proud to welcome the 10th cohort to campus this summer as one of 28 host Institutes. If you are interested in becoming involved with the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship, please email yali@austin.utexas.edu.

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.  The University of Texas at Austin is a sub-grantee of IREX and is implementing a Leadership Institute as a part of the Fellowship. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.