The University of Nevada, Reno is proud to announce that it has again been selected as an Institute Partner for the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. Beginning in mid-June, the University will host 25 of Africa's bright, emerging business and entrepreneurship leaders for a six-week Academic and Leadership Institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities and local community engagement. The U.S. Department of State has brought 3,000 young leaders from across Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaborations with U.S. professionals since 2014.

The cohort of fellows hosted by the University will be part of a larger group of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows at 27 institutions across the United States this summer. These exceptional young leaders will meet at the end of their Institutes in Washington, D.C. for the fifth annual Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit. They will take part in networking and panel discussions with each other and U.S. leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors. Following the Summit, 100 Fellows will participate in six weeks of professional development training at U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies and government agencies.

Working closely with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and its implementing partner, IREX, host institutions will offer academic and leadership programs that will challenge, inspire and empower these inspiring young leaders from Africa.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. Department of State and is administered by IREX. Join the conversation at #YALI2018.

For additional information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Institute at the University of Nevada, Reno, please contact Carina Black, Executive Director of the Northern Nevada International Center at 784.7515, ext. 221 or cblack@unr.edu. Another contact is Dr. Dave Croasdell, Associate Professor at the College of Business, at davec@unr.edu.