For the eighth time, the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) has partnered with the Tippie College of Business Institute for International Business (IIB) to bring 25 fellows from 20 Sub-Saharan African countries to campus. They are participating in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, which is the flagship program of the United States government’s Young African Leaders Initiative.

The Fellows, who are ages 25-35 and accomplished innovators and leaders in their countries, arrived June 21 and will stay on campus six weeks. Their primary focus will be the completion of Venture School, a program that provides real-world experience, testing of business ideas, and connecting with mentors. The training will touch on other themes such as leadership and building a network, entrepreneurship in Iowa, and managing growth and change.

Also during their stay, the Fellows will perform 12 hours of community service at Table to Table, Central Furniture Rescue, Grow Johnson County, and Systems Unlimited. They will participate in cultural site tours at Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, a farm in Kalona, and Iowa Islamic Heritage Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids.

For additional information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship Leadership Institute at the University of Iowa, contact Jan Finlayson at 319-321-7360 and visit our website HERE. You may also join the conversation at #YALI2023 and #YALIatIowa2023.

Iowa JPEC is the hub for entrepreneurship education and outreach at the University of Iowa. The IIB is the international engagement arm of the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the United States Department of State with funding provided by the United States government and administered by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). University of Iowa is a sub-grantee of IREX and is implementing a Leadership Institute as a part of the Fellowship. For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit its website HERE.