This summer, for the first time, the Mandela Washington Fellowship brought 500 of Africa’s most exceptional young leaders to the United States for a six-week program of university coursework, leadership training, and networking with leaders in their field.

This first class of Fellows represents all forty-nine sub-Saharan African countries and includes an equal number of men and women. Although the Fellows are young – between 25 and 35 years old – the majority hold mid-career or higher positions in their field and have shown promising leadership skills and commitment to developing their communities and countries.

After the six-week coursework, the 500 Fellows were invited to Washington for a Presidential Summit and Town Hall. Over three days, the Fellows had the opportunity to meet with President Obama and other leaders in government, non-governmental agencies (NGOs), and private companies.

Once Fellows return to their home countries, they have the opportunity to engage in continuing professional development, mentoring, and networking. In addition, Fellows will have access to designated funding in order to support their projects and businesses that are devoted to improving their communities.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a leading program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative. President Obama hopes to double the number of Fellows by 2016.