Colman Selected for The Mandela Washington Fellowship

Apr 6

We are extremely excited to announce that our Co-Founder and CEO, Colman has been selected as a Mandela Washington Fellow as part of this year's Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI).

“The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Established in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship has brought nearly 5,100 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa to the United States for academic and leadership training. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished innovators and leaders in their communities and countries”

We are incredibly honored that Colman has been selected for this year's fellowship. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is highly competitive, with only about 700 young leaders from across Africa selected for the program each year.

Fellows get the opportunity to share personal and professional experiences, meet youth leaders from various backgrounds, build strong networks, as well as interact with American peers. The Mandela Washington Fellowship creates mutually beneficial opportunities for learning and exchange.

During this six week program, the fellows will develop their leadership skills at leadership institutes hosted by American colleges and universities, a summit in Washington, and professional development opportunities.

The leadership institutes offer programs in three tracks: business/entrepreneurship, civic engagement and public management. Through these themes the programs build skills and empower Fellows to lead in their respective sectors and communities.

Since Kyaro Assistive Tech is an NGO which provides assistive devices in Sub-Saharan Africa that are appropriate, affordable, and appealing, Colman will be participating in the Leadership in Business track. Programs in this track are designed to build technical and leadership capacity in areas such as innovation and technology, business plan development, financial management, business ethics, public-private partnerships, and more.

The knowledge and connections acquired during the program will provide amazing opportunities for us to expand our networks, widen our reach, further our organizational goals, strengthen our community, and continue our mission to break barriers and provide access.