{"id":34480,"date":"2021-04-27T18:07:09","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T01:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=34480"},"modified":"2021-04-27T18:07:09","modified_gmt":"2021-04-28T01:07:09","slug":"young-african-leaders-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=34480","title":{"rendered":"Young African Leaders Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"
04\/27\/2021 07:57 AM EDT<\/div>\n

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Office of the Spokesperson<\/p>\n

The Young\u00a0African Leaders Initiative (YALI) is the U.S. government\u2019s signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders.\u00a0 Since 2010, YALI has graduated more than 24,000 alumni from the Mandela Washington Fellowship exchange program and its four Regional Leadership Centers (RLCs) located across the continent, while membership in the online YALI Network community numbers over 700,000.<\/p>\n

YALI alumni have risen to high-ranking leadership positions in the public and private sectors and been recognized with international awards.\u00a0 Five alumni have held or currently hold cabinet-level positions, a Ghanaian Fellowship alumnus and Kenyan RLC alumna won first and second prize in\u00a0Africa.com\u2019s\u00a02020 Brilliant African Innovations Against COVID-19 Competition, and a Somali Fellowship alumna was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019.<\/p>\n

With a population of 1.3 billion people whose median age is 19 years old, Africa\u2019s youth are one of the continent\u2019s most important resources.\u00a0\u00a0YALI, along with other U.S.-sponsored people-to-people initiatives, showcases the U.S.\u00a0government\u2019s commitment to strengthening the ties among\u00a0the people of the United States and Africa.\u00a0\u00a0Through its programs,\u00a0YALI promotes effective public administration;\u00a0fosters networks that connect people;\u00a0creates conditions for peace, prosperity, and security;\u00a0and provides investment opportunities for U.S. businesses.<\/p>\n