The U.S. Department of State will host the Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit July 29-31 at Washington, D.C.’s Omni Shoreham Hotel. Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2024.
The Summit brings together nearly 700 of Sub-Saharan Africa’s promising young leaders to meet and network with each other and U.S. government, private sector, and civil society representatives. The goal is to build relationships that will contribute to new opportunities that will benefit the people across the African continent and in the United States.
Confirmed plenary speakers include U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development Isobel Coleman, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Elizabeth Allen, and U.S. Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues Abby Finkenauer.
The Summit will include a U.S.-Africa policy panel featuring Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, USAID Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Africa Monde Muyangwa, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Senior Bureau Official for Global Health Security and Diplomacy Ambassador John Nkengasong, and Prosper Africa Managing Director for Africa Operations Lisa Walker.
The Summit will also feature remarks from President and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Latanya Mapp and CEO of Global Startup Ecosystem Christine Ntim as well as a Partnership Expo and TED Talk-style Ignite Talks by Fellows.
The Summit follows six weeks of academic study and leadership development for the nearly 700 Fellows at 28 higher education institutions as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
WHAT: Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit
WHEN: Monday, July 29 – Wednesday, July 31
WHERE: Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C.
RSVP: Credentialing will be handled by IREX. Please fill out the registration form to request credentials and to receive a schedule of open-press events.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by IREX. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.
For press inquiries, please contact the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at ECA-Press@state.gov.
