Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders Quarterly Report October 1, 2016-December 31, 2016

The program is part of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and is funded by USAID. The program's goal is to develop the leadership skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary for young African leaders to become more active and constructive members of society. The program achieves this through Leadership Development Plans that the Fellows complete and post online for comment, professional practicums in Africa that provide the Fellows with practical experience, and individualized mentor matches that allow the Fellows to further develop their identities as leaders. The program also helps the Fellows establish broad and enduring networks to support, sustain, and multiply the impact of the Mandela Washington Fellowship programming. To support and enhance these activities, IREX ensures the empowerment and inclusion of women, the disabled, LGBTIQ individuals, and other marginalized youth. The program emphasizes the participation of the Fellows in the creation and development of programming so as to be fully responsive to their needs and interests. Significant partnerships with the private sector are established to leverage resources, increase impact, and enhance sustainability of planned activities. During the period from October 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016, IREX made significant progress towards achieving planned targets. The program continued to match Fellows with professional practicums and professional mentors, finalizing 16 professional practicums and finalizing 35 mentorships. IREX awarded five 2016 Fellows with Speaker Travel Grants, and one STG awardee spoke at an event, reaching an audience of over 800 individuals. IREX held three networking and continued learning opportunities, which 29 Fellows attended. The Regional Advisory Boards (RABs) are the primary instrument through which Fellows can advise on USAID-funded follow-on programming on the continent. In Quarter 11, the three RABs held their first in-person meetings. The 2016 RAB met with the 2015 advisers, reviewed the RAB toolkit, received training in board governance, elected officers, formed committees, and started planning for the coming year with a special focus on the Communities of Practice. The West Africa RAB meeting was facilitated by IREX from October 27-28 in Accra, Ghana. The officers elected were: Chair Orondaam Otto (Nigeria), Secretary Aboubacar Kemo Toure (Senegal), and Communications Officer Maimouna Diakhaby (Guinea). The Southern Africa RAB meeting was facilitated by IREX from November 4-5 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The officers elected were: Chair Kakoma Mutenda (Zambia), Secretary Peter Yakobe (Malawi), and Communications Officer Boas Fernando (Angola). The East Africa RAB meeting was facilitated by IREX from November 4-5 in Kigali, Rwanda. The officers elected were: Chair Walaa Ahmed (Sudan), Secretary Irwin Iradukunda (Burundi), and Communications Officer Brenda Katwesigye (Uganda). Following the meetings, IREX shared the notes from all three meetings with the RAB Chairs for them to share out with the rest of the RAB members. IREX also worked with the RAB Chairs to arrange a virtual meeting between the three of them in December so that they could further discuss avenues for cross-regional collaboration and learning. As a result, the RAB Chairs are drafting a document with their recommendations for the program, which they will share with IREX in Quarter 12. The second in-person RAB meetings will take place in February in the RAB members' respective regions, with a focus on planning for the three Regional Thematic Conferences, additional training in monitoring and evaluation, and further developing the Communities of Practice.