Yali fellows challenged to end Malawi’s woes
Malawians, who participated in the Young African Leadership Initiative (Yali), Mandela Washington Fellowship, have been challenged to find solutions to solve the country’s problems.
The fellows, who returned last month from Washington, United States of America, on Friday, interacted with fellow youths that intend to be considered for the fellowship.
While in America, the youth were trained in business and entrepreneurship, public management and governance and civic leadership.
One of the fellows, James Kumwenda, said that the initiative is a good platform for improving governance skills and networking among the youth.
“Everyone who participates in Yali is a leader already but the initiative helps the participants to enhance their leadership skills. We have come better leaders and with better connections. There were fellows from about 24 African countries sharing experiences there,” he said.
Kumwenda urged young Malawians to apply for the next fellowship.
Public Affairs Officer at the American Embassy, Edward Monster, said American President Barak Obama believes in the potential young African leaders possess.
He said American Embassy is pleased with the results the initiative is yielding in Malawi since its inception in 2014 and says the project will continue when Obama leaves office in November.
“President Obama believes in the leadership of the youth in Africa. President Obama and even I believe that the 21st century belongs to Africa. The initiative has a funding for five years and I am fairly certain that the initiative will go on long after that,” he said.
The fellowship is open to young leaders between the ages 18 and 30 serving in their communities.
Registration for the 2017 Yali Mandela Washington Fellowship commences on 21st September and closes on 26th October, 2016.
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