The President of the Republic appointed

Ambassador Anne Vasara, Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, to serve as non-resident Ambassador to Brunei,

Ambassador Janne Heiskanen, Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Astana, to serve as non-resident Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan,

Ambassador Titta Maja-Luoto, Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Lisbon, to serve as non-resident Ambassador to Cape Verde, and

Ambassador Pekka Metso, Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Pretoria, to serve as non-resident Ambassador to Lesotho and Botswana.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, begun in 2014, is the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) that empowers young leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking. In 2016, the Fellowship provided nearly 1,000 outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa with the opportunity to hone their skills at a U.S. higher education institution with support for professional development after they return home.

Ideal candidates are self-identified leaders, aged 25 to 35, with proven accomplishment in promoting innovation and positive change in their organizations, institutions, communities, and countries.

U.S.-based Activities

Academic and Leadership Institutes: Each Mandela Washington Fellow takes part in a six- week academic and leadership institute at a U.S. university or college in one of three tracks: business and entrepreneurship, civic leadership, or public management.

Summit: Following the academic component of the Fellowship, the Fellows visit Washington, D.C. for a summit. During the three-day event, Fellows take part in networking and panel discussions with U.S. leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Professional Development Experience: Selected Fellows remain in the U.S. to participate in a six-week professional development experience with U.S. non-governmental organizations, private companies, and governmental agencies related to their professional interests and goals.

Africa-based Activities

Upon returning to their home countries, Fellows continue to build the skills they have developed during their time in the United States through support from U.S. embassies, Regional Leadership Centers, the YALI Network, and customized programming from affiliated partners. Mandela Washington Fellows have access to ongoing professional development opportunities, mentoring, networking and training, and seed funding to support their ideas, businesses, and organizations.

Application Information

The application includes basic information and questions about the applicant’s professional and academic experience, including educational background; honors and awards received; extracurricular and volunteer activities; and English language proficiency.  A résumé is also requested (with dated educational and professional background), and personal information (name, address, phone, email, country of citizenship). Additional elements, such as letters of recommendation or university transcripts, are OPTIONAL and may supplement your application.

Who is eligible to apply?

Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.  The Mandela Washington Fellowship is open to young African leaders who meet the following criteria:

Are between the ages of 25 and 35 on or before the application deadline, although exceptional applicants ages 21-24 will be considered;
Are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States;
Are eligible to receive a United States J-1 visa;
Are not employees or immediate family members of employees of the U.S. Government (including a U.S. embassy or consulate, USAID, and other U.S. Government entities);
Are proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English (applicants who are deaf should refer to the English Language instructions on the Resources page);
Are citizens of one of the following countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe;
Are residents of one of the above countries; and
Are not Alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship.

Please note that Fellows are not allowed to have dependents, including spouses and children, accompany them during the Fellowship. The U.S. Department of State and IREX reserve the right to verify all information included in the application.  In the event of a discrepancy, or if information is found to be false, the application will immediately be declared invalid and the applicant ineligible.

Selection Process

The Mandela Washington Fellowship selection process is a merit-based open competition.  After the deadline, all eligible applications will be reviewed by independent readers.  Following this review, chosen semi-finalists will be interviewed by the U.S. embassies or consulates in their home countries.  Selected semi-finalists will be required to participate in these in-person interviews in their home country within Africa.  If advanced to the semi-finalist round, applicants must provide a copy of their international passport (if available) or other government-issued photo identification at the time of the interview.  Selected Finalists are required to attend the mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation in their home country within Africa. The following criteria will be used to evaluate applications (not in order of importance):

A proven record of leadership and accomplishment in business or entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and/or public/government service;
​A demonstrated commitment to public or community service, volunteerism, or mentorship;
​The ability to work cooperatively in diverse groups and to respect the opinions of others;
​Strong social and communication skills;
​An energetic, positive, and flexible attitude;
​A demonstrated knowledge of, interest in, and professional experience in the preferred sector/Fellowship track and concrete goals for applying lessons knowledge and skills gained from the Fellowship to current and/or future work; and
​A commitment to return to Sub-Saharan Africa and contribute skills and talents to build and serve their communities.

Learn More

Application Resources

Got questions? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions about the Fellowship application to learn answers to common queries.

Check out our Resources page to download and learn more about:

Instructions for the Fellowship Application
Information for Prospective Fellows with Disabilities
Information for Prospective Fellows Who Are or May Become Pregnant
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Namibia.

The Presiding Officers of Parliament, National Assembly Speaker, Ms Thoko Didiza, and the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Ms Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, express their profound sadness and deepest condolences on the passing of former Minister Mr Pravin Gordhan at the age of 75.

Mr Gordhan was a lifelong activist and dedicated public servant who fought against apartheid and contributed to South Africa’s transition to democracy. He was among the first generation of parliamentarians following the 1994 democratic breakthrough that contributed immensely to shaping the course of our democracy through, amongst others, setting up democratic institutions, systems and laying a firm foundation for legislative reform.

His service in the cabinet and public service, including his stewardship of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and his roles as Minister of Finance, Cooperative Governance, and later Public Enterprises, demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the betterment of public institutions through ethical governance, transparency and economic reform. During his tenure at SARS, Mr Gordhan served with diligence and integrity and, together with his capable team, transformed the institution into a world-class tax and customs administration.

The Presiding Officers said: “We convey our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and comrades in the African National Congress on this sad loss.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.

The BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre (www.BRICSCompetition.org) together with partners from China will develop the BRICS commodities exchange system. The document was signed on the margins of the 2024 National Fair Competition Conference of China.

As quoted in the report presented at the Forum, “the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre and the Center for Competition Policy and Expertise of the State Administration for Market Regulation of China (SAMR) signed a cooperation agreement. A separate point of cooperation will be research work on the development of exchange trade in commodities and raw materials between Russia and China and BRICS countries as a whole.”

Alexei Ivanov, Director of the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre, noted that in 2022, an agreement was signed between the governments of Russia and China on cooperation in antitrust enforcement and competition policy. “It is symbolic that two years later, during Russia’s BRICS presidency, we were able to conclude a memorandum of expert cooperation on competition protection with China’s leading antitrust center,” said Alexey Ivanov, Director of the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre.

“If entrepreneurs of Russia and China work directly, through modern exchange mechanisms, which will not only allow to establish direct long-term ties, but also reduce prices for goods for end consumers, as it will eliminate the use of intermediary schemes. The task of experts and researchers in this regard is to develop a system of organizational, legal and economic measures and analyze the necessary conditions for the creation of exchange platforms and the development of exchange trade, including in the BRICS format. Together with Chinese academic partners, namely the SAMR Center for Competition Policy and Expertise and the Institute of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IRVECA CAON), we will soon be ready to present ready-made solutions to the regulators of our countries,” Ivanov added.

The Parties also discussed the possibility of conducting joint studies aimed at promoting competition from the perspective of the needs of emerging economies in the BRICS space, and agreed to exchange information on key activities.

Meng Yang, Vice Minister of SAMR, expressed the Chinese antitrust regulator’s readiness to strengthen cooperation in the BRICS format, outlining several priority areas. In particular, he spoke about the coordination of BRICS working groups on competition in socially important markets, as well as ongoing projects, including a study of competition issues in the biosimilars market within the framework of the working group on competition in pharmaceutical markets. A meeting of this working group was held earlier this week.

In general, the past meetings and the signing of the treaty, as the parties agree, testify to the active development of cooperation between the two countries in the field of competition law. They also expressed confidence that the forthcoming BRICS summit in Kazan, which will be held in October this year, will bring even more concrete solutions to projects in this area and give even more impetus to the development of this area of cooperation.

Chairing the BRICS+ in 2024, Russia is actively working on the comprehensive implementation of the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy 2025 and the realization of the Action Plan on Innovation Cooperation for 2021-2024. Special emphasis was placed on discussing and finding solutions for regulation in the field of competition law and antitrust policy.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre.