Press release: US Embassy, Banjul – The charge d’affaires (CDA) at the US Embassy in Banjul, Marissa Scott, presented members of the Mandela Washington Fellowship 2021 cohort to the vice president of The Gambia Dr Isatou Touray.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship 2021 cohort are Burama Dampha, Ida Faal, Aji Sainey Kah, Lala Touray, Esther King, Amadou G Jallow and Samba Jaiteh. They completed the fellowship in the following subject areas: business leadership, public management and civic leadership.
CDA Scott explained that the Mandela Washington Fellowship chooses established young leaders with a proven record in initiating and promoting positive change in their communities.
Vice President Dr Isatou Touray congratulated the fellows on their achievements and gave examples from her own work and activism to encourage them to continue bringing positive change in their communities.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic this year’s fellowship was virtual and fellows demonstrated outstanding resilience.
US Secretary of State Blinken in his remarks at the Mandela Washington Summit recognised Amadou Jallow, a public management fellow, for his goal of creating a regulatory framework for clean energy technologies in The Gambia.
Since inception in 2014, The Gambia has named 51 Mandela Washington Fellows. The Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the US government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). YALI is the United States’ signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders.
