U.S. Ambassador Tulinabo Mushingi met with six young Burkinabé selected to participate in the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Washington Fellow program in Washington. Issouf Ilboudo, Sanon Anselme, Sylvie Tougma, Herman Naré, Abdalla Dao et Francine Boro/Legma were the finalists of the YALI competition launched in December 2013.YALI is President Obama initiative launched in 2010 to train and encourage young Africans leaders to spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across the continent.
A total of 500 young African leaders will meet in Washington on President Obama’s invitation and will spend 6 weeks at U.S. universities for academic and leadership training. The YALI aims to increase the program to to 1000 participants per year within five years. Fellows will receive world-class training and mentoring in the three vital areas of strengthening civil society, building capacity of public service and entrepreneurship. The leaders’ experience in the United States will include a Presidential Summit in Washington, D.C. where Washington Fellows will interact with U.S. government, civil society, and business leaders, including President Obama. They will spend six weeks at eleven different universities across the United States. An academic, professional, and cultural immersion will allow Fellows to network with peers from across Africa. The program ends in late July with a three-day conference in Washington, D.C. One Burkinabe YALI fellow Abdalla Dao will have the opportunity to participate in an eight-week internship at different sites across the United States.
The U.S. Department of State selected Burkina Faso Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) fellows from nearly 300 applications. The 2015 selection process begins in late 2014.
