Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Melinda Tabler-Stone addressed the opening ceremony of the Accra Leadership Center, welcoming the first class of participants in the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Regional Leadership Center for West Africa. Having arrived in Ghana recently, she expressed her familiarity with YALI from her previous role in the Bureau of African Affairs and praised its goals and participants.
Tabler-Stone highlighted significant interest in YALI since its announcement by President Barack Obama in August 2014. "We believe YALI participants will form part of the vanguard on the continent as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa," she stated.
The U.S. Government expanded YALI beyond the Mandela Washington Fellows program to establish four Regional Leadership Centers (RLCs) across Africa: Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, and Ghana. These centers aim to reach exceptional young leaders from diverse backgrounds and provide leadership training, entrepreneurship support, and professional networking opportunities.
She noted that the Accra RLC would support over 4,000 young leaders over four years with inclusiveness being a key feature. "Leaders come from all walks of life...we must reach out to all young leaders, regardless of gender, race, creed, socio-economic status or physical ability," she emphasized.
Leadership is another focus for the RLC which aims to be a leader itself by offering state-of-the-art facilities where ideas can be shared and incubated. Partnerships are deemed critical for success; recognition was given to partners like GIMPA for hosting the center and MasterCard Foundation for its contribution.
The initiative also acknowledged other partners such as Africa 2.0, Private Enterprise Federation, Microsoft, Webster University, and Ecobank for their roles in establishing the center.
Finally, Tabler-Stone congratulated the selected participants noting their leadership potential through a competitive recruitment process. She encouraged them to gain new skills at the center to make an impact in areas such as education, health, sustainable development among others. "Through our Young African Leaders Initiative we are empowering and connecting young people from across the continent," President Obama remarked previously.
Tabler-Stone concluded by wishing participants success at the center.