Mandela Washington Fellows Convene for Annual Summit in Washington, DC

More than 700 young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa will be in Washington, DC, this week for the State Department-sponsored Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit. The Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit fosters and builds relationships that support and expand U.S.-Africa cooperation on shared goals on the continent.

On July 30, the Summit will kick off with opening remarks by Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Jennifer Zimdahl Galt. The first day of the summit will also include panel discussions on women’s empowerment and youth leadership, with a special video introduction from Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President.

The young African leaders are convening in Washington after six weeks of academic study and leadership training at 27 higher education institutions across the United States as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

Alumni of the Fellowship are playing a role in strengthening democratic institutions, spurring economic growth, and enhancing peace and security in Africa. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), a key element in the United States’ effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders.

Keep up with the Summit by following @ECAatState, @ECA_AS, and @MandelaWshFellowship on Twitter.

Editor’s Note: This entry originally appeared on DipNote, the U.S. Department of State’s official blog.