US President Barack Obama and US government, private sector, and civil society leaders will meet with nearly 1,000 of sub-Saharan Africa’s most promising young leaders from 1-3 August at the Presidential Summit of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, according to an official statement issued by the US Department of State on Thursday.
It said the summit, held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., would feature a town hall with President Obama, a Congressional Forum and an Expo with more than 100 organizations engaged with Africa.
USAID Administrator Gayle Smith, Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel, Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan, and Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield would also meet with the participants, the statement said.
The young African leaders are convening in Washington after six weeks of academic study and leadership training at 36 higher education institutions across the United States as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
The statement said Alumni of the fellowship were 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, President Obama’s signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders.
