Mandela Washington fellows inspired

Earlier this week, 16 young Namibians who were a part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship returned to Namibia following a six-week programme that ended in July.On their return, the participants called for more partnership and collaboration among Namibian entrepreneurs.The Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship programme of the US government&#039;s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and was established in 2014.Cherished experienceDuring a meeting with US Ambassador Randy Berry, the fellows all highlighted the realisation that many Namibian entrepreneurs shy away from valuable partnership opportunities and miss out on growth as a result.Romanus Kanyanga, a 2023 fellow and entrepreneur, said his experience encompassed partnership discussions and collaboration that he hopes to see among fellowship alumni and other young Namibian entrepreneurs. "Fashion designers in Chicago have now extended an invite to local Namibian designers to take part in a fashion show after I took some clothes along on my fellowship. That is the power of collaboration," he said during a briefing with Berry.During his time at Iowa State University, Kanyanga won US$5 000 during a pitch competition for a business idea. Kanyanga hopes to start a multimedia business that will train and help establish digital content creators.Desire to learnThe six-week professional development programme, hosted by college and university campuses across the US, supported the development of fellows&#039; leadership skills through academic study, workshops, mentoring, networking with US leaders, and collaboration with members of the local community.Berry said the programme is competitive, and he has noticed that a common factor among Namibian fellows is that they have a "great desire" to improve their livelihoods through the experience."YALI participants come back with a lot of energy and innovation to make the change. Thank you for letting us play a role in opening doors for you that I hope you keep open now that you&#039;ve walked through," Berry told the returnees.He added that the programme is centred on the principle that communication and collaboration are what can bring people closer to solving global issues as a unit.Berry added that opportunities like this are what will allow the fellows to think more globally and highlight the relationship between issues faced by Namibia as well as those in other countries.

Mandela Washington fellows inspired

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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Mandela Washington fellows inspired

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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