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The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi has announced that 46 Kenyans have been invited to participate in the first ever Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) Washington Fellowship. The young Kenyan leaders will travel to the United States in June with over 450 other young African leaders for a six week program at one of 20 prestigious U.S. universities, and will participate in a conference in Washington, D.C. hosted by President Obama.

The 46 Kenyan YALI participants were selected from a candidate pool of over 5,000 Kenyan applicants.

“I would like to congratulate our first group of 46 young Kenyan leaders, who will represent the extraordinary talent of Kenya’s youth,” said U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Robert F. Godec. “We are excited to bring these young leaders to the United States, but more importantly are excited about the energy, creativity, and drive they will bring back to Kenya after the Fellowship.”

Washington Fellowship at a Town Hall was announced by President Obama on June 29, 2013 in Soweto, South Africa.

The 500 Washington Fellows will arrive on June 14 for six weeks of academic coursework and training at 20 of America’s top universities. On July 28-30, they will participate in a Presidential Summit for the Fellows convened by President Obama in Washington, D.C. One hundred of the Fellows will stay on to participate in internships in the United States.

In addition to announcing those selected for the Washington Fellowship this year, President Obama also announced this week the Young African Leaders Initiative Network – or YALI Network, a virtual community that connects young African leaders with resources from the U.S. government and to one another. Anyone can sign up to receive updates and other opportunities available for young African leaders from the U.S. government by going to this link youngafricanleaders.state.gov

Africa-based professional development, networking, and community engagement opportunities will be made available for all of the Fellows upon their return to their home countries.