Young African leaders initiative

I worked at an evaluation consultancy firm called Development Works Changemakers in 2019 and 2020. One of the most interesting and inspiring evaluations we conducted was of the Mandela-Washington Foundation's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Funded by the US Presidency, every year YALI selects young Africans from all over the continent and brings them to a number of universities all over the US for a special programme to enhance their skills. These individuals win this opportunity because they are already showing leadership potential in a number of areas, including entrepreneurialism, civil society and the public service. After the three-month programme ends, a further year of mentoring and support back in their home countries is provided, along with opportunities to connect at regional convenings.

If ever you feel despondent about the state of leaders and human potential in Africa, I recommend connecting with the thousands of YALI alumni all over Africa. I always find meeting young African leaders highly inspiring. They give me hope that the younger generation of leaders can change things for the better on the continent. Here I am with two young YALI graduates in Accra, Ghana.

Visiting Accra to meet these YALI alumni was fascinating, although I was literally there for 36 hours, spending most of my time in the romantic 'Airport View Hotel', before jetting across the continent to Kenya. In Nairobi, I met more young YALI alumni and heard all about how their YALI residency and mentoring had taken their own initiatives to the next level. One thing that this network fosters is collaboration between YALI alumni, which proves very beneficial, especially to entrepreneurs. I managed to squeeze in a visit to the famous Natural History Museum in Nairobi before my flight, where I got to see the exhibitions put together by the palaeontologist Richard Leakey.

I then went to Harare, where I met YALI alumni in more familiar surroundings. Apart from interviewing alumni themselves, I was tasked with interviewing some of their mentors about their progress since participating. We then wrote up the multi-country study, which was very well received by the Mandela-Washington Foundation.