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About the Mandela Washington Fellowship

Empowering Young Leaders and Creating Opportunities

The flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders empowers young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking opportunities.

The Fellowship, which began in 2014, has already engaged nearly 5,100 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa, supporting a community that creates prosperity, fortifies democracy, and promotes peace across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Starting in 2016, UC Davis was selected as one of the universities across the U.S. to host the Mandela Washington Fellowship within Global Affairs. Mandela Washington Fellows increase their knowledge of the U.S., grow their professional networks, and gain the skills and connections they need to accelerate their own career trajectories and contribute more robustly to these democratic, peace-building ideals.

A group of 25 Mandela Washington Fellows stand in front of the glass windows of the International Center in the shade.

2023: Leadership in Public Management

In 2023, UC Davis will host Mandela Washington Fellows for a Leadership in Public Management Institute.

The UC Davis Institute leverages university as well as local and state human and institutional resources to provide practical knowledge, experience and leadership training. The Institute engages Fellows through experiential learning that combines guest speakers from academia and the public and private sectors, case studies and field visits to government institutions and private sector facilities.

A typical week of the Leadership in Public Management Institute involves leadership sessions, academic sessions and site visits, community service and cultural activities, and facilitated networking. Fellows participate in an evaluation and debrief session at the end of each week. Additional networking activities and opportunities to meet with Focus Project Coaches are included throughout the Institute. Fellows participating in the UC Davis Leadership in Public Management Institute develop leadership skills and confidence needed to effect change in their home institutions, companies, and governments.

2022: Leadership in Public Management

The UC Davis Institute exposed Mandela Washington Fellows to diverse perspectives on science-based public management through programming in collaboration with departments and partners across campus and in the local community. Fellows participated in experiential learning that combined guest speakers from academia and the public and private sectors, case studies and field visits to government institutions and private sector facilities.

Fellows developed a concrete understanding of the themes and the practical issues through a curriculum that focused on specific topics, including agriculture, water, transportation, energy, public health, environmental quality and economic opportunity. These topics continue to have pressing importance in the Fellows’ home countries and are areas of excellence at UC Davis. In addition, Fellows continued to build their leadership skills through public speaking, training and networking.

2021: Leadership in Public Management 

The Institute built practical knowledge and leadership capacity in topics such as the environment, agriculture, energy and water by engaging with our diverse faculty. Fellows benefited from one-on-one coaching for focus projects related to their fields of work. In addition, Fellows built their leadership skills through public speaking and networking sessions. 

Through programming in collaboration with departments and partners across campus and in the local community, the Public Management Institute at UC Davis exposed the 2021 Mandela Washington Fellows to unique perspectives on science-based public management.

2020: Postponed until summer 2021 due to COVID-19

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and with the safety and well-being of Fellows and Partners as the highest priority, the U.S. Department of State postponed the 2020 Leadership Institutes to summer 2021.

2019: Leadership in Public Management 

In 2019, UC Davis hosted Mandela Washington Fellows for a Leadership in Public Management Institute.

The institute is set to build technical and leadership capacity in:

  • civic engagement, 
  • resource management, and 
  • financial accountability

Through programming in partnership with businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and local and state government agencies, the Public Management Institute at UC Davis exposes Mandela Washington Fellows to a diversity of perspectives on public management.

2018: Managing Globalization

In 2018, UC Davis hosted Mandela Washington Fellows for a Public Management Institute focused on Managing Globalization: Public Policy and Development in the 21st Century.

The institute is set to develop theoretical and practical knowledge in three areas:

  • The Public Management Process: The Structure and Functions of Government
  • Evaluation of Public Regulations, Policies, and Programs
  • Public Services and Infrastructure: Planning and Financing

Through programming in partnership with businesses, nongovernmental organizations, and local and state government agencies, the Public Management Institute at UC Davis exposes Mandela Washington Fellows to a diversity of perspectives on public management.

Mandela Fellow in front of California flyer
2018 UC Davis Mandela Fellow Shadrack Kwadwo Amponsah at the State Capital of California.

2016 and 2017: Pioneering Energy Policy

In 2016 and 2017, Global Affairs hosted Mandela Washington Fellows in the Public Management Institute on Energy Policy at UC Davis. Fellows acquired knowledge and experience from UC Davis and California experts who are leading the effort to advance energy policies, business strategies, and technologies—with a focus on the sustainability of the energy sector from environmental and economic standpoints.

To achieve this, we provided Mandela Washington Fellows with insights from professionals working for local electric utilities, regulators in state government, and private industry in the areas of energy distribution—both on and off the grid—renewable energy generation, energy efficiency technologies, and energy policy. 

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UC Davis Mandela Washington Fellows at a reception in July 2017.

More Information

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.  UC Davis 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, please visit the Fellowship’s website.

Please see our UC Davis Mandela Washington Fellowship Contact Information if you have questions or are interested in getting involved with the program.