The Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative. President Obama launched YALI in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa. The Washington Fellowship, which begins in 2014, will bring 500 young leaders to the United States each year for academic coursework and leadership training and will create unique opportunities in Africa for Fellows to put new skills to practical use in leading organizations, communities, and countries.
The Washington Fellowship includes:
A 6-week Academic and Leadership Institute: Fellows are placed at U.S. colleges and universities for
academic institutes. Institutes will focus on skills development in one of three areas: Business and
Entrepreneurship, Civic Leadership, or Public Management. Institutes will take place from mid-June
to late July 2014.
A Summit with President Obama in Washington, DC: At the conclusion of the academic and
leadership institute, all Fellows will participate in a Presidential Summit. The Summit will take place
in late July 2014.
An optional 8-week U.S. Internship: As part of the Fellowship application, individuals may apply to
receive practical training at a U.S. business, civil society organization, or public agency in the United
States. Approximately 100 Washington Fellows will be selected for U.S.-based internships. The U.S.
internships will take place in August and September 2014.
Activities in Africa: Fellows will have the opportunity for continued networking opportunities,
ongoing professional development, access to seed funding, and community service activities upon
their return home after the Fellowship.
The online application for the Washington Fellowship is currently available. Completed applications, including all supporting documents, are due by 12:00 midnight Eastern Standard Time, January 27, 2014. All applications must be submitted via the online application system. The application instructions provide detailed information regarding the financial provisions of the fellowship, eligibility and selection criteria for the program, and details on applying. Please read the application instructions carefully prior to beginning the application. We recommend printing these instructions and referring to them while completing the application.
If you have questions about the application, please email washingtonfellowship@irex.org
Participating countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
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