U.S. Embassy in Madagascar and Comoros is proud to announce that three young leaders between 25 and 35 years old from Comoros will participate in the 2022 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Mohamed El-Baz Abdallah will strengthen his leadership in public management at Syracuse University. Antuf Mhoudine will enhance his leadership in civic engagement at Indiana University. As for Aicha Abdourahim, she will develop her leadership in business.
The Comorian Fellows left Comoros on June 7, 2022 to join college and university campuses across the United States for six-week trainings during which they will strengthen their leadership skills through academic study, workshops, mentoring, networking with U.S. leaders, and collaboration with members of the local community. This year, twenty-seven U.S. educational institutions in 20 states and the District of Columbia will host these Leadership Institutes for approximately 700 Mandela Washington Fellows from all sub-Saharan Africa.
After their Leadership Institutes, Fellows will participate in a virtual summit. Additionally, up to 100 competitively selected Fellows, two of whom are Comorians, will engage virtually in professional development with U.S. organizations in the public, private, or non-profit sectors. Fellows can participate in Alumni Programming after their Fellowships to further build their professional skills and networks.
Launched in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and embodies the U.S. commitment to invest in the future of Africa. 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 Africa. Since 2014, nearly 5,100 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa, including 21 from Comoros, have participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
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. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.