U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has announced a new $100 million government initiative aimed to support young African leaders.
The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) advances leadership and entrepreneurial traits amongst a select group of African-based participants and connects them with American leaders to engage in academic and leadership training. The initiative is under the arm of the Department of State and USAID and is funded and managed by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Members who are selected to participate in the program are provided opportunities to network, work with mentors and coaches, and learn more about grants, internships and other funding opportunities. Furthermore, YALI seeks to train young African men and women to become leaders in their communities through civic engagement, public administration and business programs.
“We are focused on working with the countries of Africa to address current challenges, as well as to promote long-term growth and innovation,” Harris said in remarks at the White House. “Together, as we continue to advance our partnership in health, in development, and good governance, we are also addressing the need for climate resilience and clean energy, food security, access to finance, and digital technology.”
She continued: “In the past two years, we have made important progress together. And we must and we will do more –which brings me back, then, to Africa’s young leaders. Just consider, 60 percent of the population of Africa is under the age of 25. That is nearly 850 million young people on the continent. And by 2050, that figure will grow to 1.2 billion people — 1.2 billion young people.”
There are more than 640,000 young Africans in the YALI network with hopes to increase these numbers in the coming years, according to a statement on YALI’s website. To apply and learn more about USAID’s Young African Leaders Initiative, visit here.
