by Al-Jerome Anastas. Chede Sr.
Washington, DC - His Excellency Ambassador Jeff Gongoer Dowana and staff of the Embassy of Liberia near Washington DC, on Thursday, August 3, 2023 played host to 17 promising young men and women who represented Liberia in this year’s Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
The Young leaders were selected in Liberia by the US Government following a robust vetting process from among thousands of applicants to participate in the transformative six-week leadership program.
The Liberian fellows and their peers from several African countries attended several training programs at over more than 15 prestigious Universities in the United States.
Their Leadership skills were honed through workshops, networking with U.S. leaders in the nation’s capital, crash academic studies, mentoring, and interactions with local community leaders.
During the meeting, the students expressed joy at visiting the Embassy. They said, "This is our home abroad, and we appreciate this reception of our visit. They opined that a long-term planning with the US Embassy in Monrovia, the Foreign Ministry and the Embassy would ensure a more elaborate and rewarding reception in the future.
Young Leaders who attended the meeting included: Ahmed Kanneh, Jared Lankah, Lovetta Qualah, Corina Wornee, Macy T.S. Wilson, and Attny. Gloria Dole. Others were: Henrique B.Zayzay, Janice -Love Bropleh, Delou Gonsanzeo, Syvanna Gbollie and Mohammed Ahmed Jalloh. Fellows who could not attend the meeting were Alexson Barpeen, Denise Litopoe Karway, Samuel Gbartor, Fatu Freeman, Armed Konneh and Comfort Baindah.
Welcoming the young leaders, Ambassador Dowana, thanked the Government and people of United Sates of America for the Mandela Washington Young African Leaders Initiative. He noted that training African future leaders was a sure way of strengthening the socio—economic, and democratic foundations of the African continent. H.E. Dowana challenged the young people to proudly return to their motherland and put into practice all the good skills and best practices they acquired from the greatest country in the world for the betterment of their communities and country.
On hand to meet the Young Leaders were Diplomats; Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Chief of Mission Isaac Yeah Sr, Minister Counselor Hellen Momoh, Counselor Finda Davis, Executive Secretary, Genevie Woods Winstead and Minister Counselor for Press and Public Affairs, Al-Jerome Anastas Chede Sr.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the US Department of State, with funding provided by the US Government and administered by the International Research and Exchange (IREX), an international nonprofit based in Washington DC. Fellows can participate in Alumni programing after their fellowships to further build their professional skills and networks.
Launched in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and embodies the U.S. commitment to invest in the future of Africa. YALI was created in 2010 and supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa. Since 2014, many young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship.
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