United States Mission in Sierra Leone
Public Affairs Office
Contact: Alhassan Jalloh
Email: JallohA@state.gov
Freetown, Sierra Leone – On August 11, Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy Freetown, Elaine French, handed over Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) certificates to seven participants from Sierra Leone who took part in the 2021 virtual fellowship program. While this year’s program was held virtually due to COVID-19, the Fellows participated in virtual Leadership Institutes between June 21 and July 30, which included leadership training, networking, mentoring, and professional development. The eight participants from Sierra Leone included: Abubakarr Kikin Shequ Kun Daoh, Ibrahim Barrie, Josephine Kamara, Lois Simche Lebbie, Mariatu Kabba, Phebean Swill, Seinya Amie Bakarr, Tamba Sangbah.
In her remarks at the certificate presentation event, Charge d’Affaires French stated, “I encourage you all to continue working together to build upon the skills you’ve learned, to share your knowledge with others, and to take the reins as leaders in your respective fields. You are the changemakers of your generation in Sierra Leone, and the United States stands behind you in support of your efforts to build momentum and progress in Sierra Leone. I invite everyone to join me in congratulating this accomplished group of young Sierra Leonean leaders for successfully completing the program and joining the prestigious ranks of Mandela Washington Fellow alumni.” Launched in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) and embodies the United States’ commitment to invest in the future of Africa. Since 2014, over 5,000 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Fellowship. And since 2014, Sierra Leone has had over 60 fellows participate in the program.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit mandelawashingtonfellowship.org.
