During the first week of August, the U.S. Department of State and USAID welcomed nearly 700 Fellows to Washington D.C. for the first in-person YALI Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit since 2019. Of this year’s 700 Fellows, 133 were also RLC alumni. The event featured remarks from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Under Secretary Liz Allen, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Molly Phee, and keynote speaker and Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor. USAID Bureau for Africa Assistant Administrator Monde Muyangwa participated in a “Policy Spotlight Brief” discussing food security, climate equity, U.S.-Africa relations, and economic investment opportunities. USAID also hosted a breakout session on the connections to the USAID RLCs and the benefits for both the YALI RLC Alumni and Mandela Washington Fellows through the new YALI ecosystem. In addition, USAID sponsored a booth in the Summit’s Partnership Expo and answered questions about USAID programs and practices from the new YALI alumni.
