By Staff Reporter

Johannesburg- SOME 150 young leaders from 14 countries in the region have converged in Johannesburg under the auspices of the United States President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).

The participants from the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship programme of YALI, are meeting at a hotel at the OR Tambo International Airport Hotel having participated in the US based academic and leadership Institutes and Presidential Summit.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders brings 500 young leaders, ages 25-35, from across the continent to the US for six weeks of leadership training and mentoring at twenty U.S. universities and colleges in three areas: business and entrepreneurship, civic engagement and public administration.

The Southern African Fellows include participants from Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Until Saturday, they will discuss how the experience has impacted their work and share best practices on fostering sustainable development for the future of Africa.

Some of Africa’s most notable leaders in the private sector, representatives of the United States government, and international and local organizations are participating at the event.

YALI is a signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders.

Obama launched YALI in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across the continent.

– Guardian