Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute

The Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) Institute seeks to empower and equip Fellows from President Obama’s Young African Leader Initiative (YALI) with new skills to become more effective entrepreneurs, with a focus on agriculture and engineering. This six-week program includes academic sessions, site visits, community service activities, and cultural experiences that expand Fellows current knowledge about U.S. approaches to business and entrepreneurship. The Fellows bring their own personal expertise on the realities in their communities into the program, helping them to reflect on how U.S. approaches and organizations supporting the institute might contribute creative ideas for solving challenges Fellows face in Africa. Each week of the institute embodies a different business and entrepreneurship theme that builds upon the prior week’s themes and then culminates in a final week of pitches, presentations, and reporting of learning outcomes. After departing campus, the Fellows travel to Washington, DC for a summit meeting.