The GirlFund Organization’s Country Team Lead, Nana Adwoa Koranteng, has been named as one of the finalists of the 2019 Mandela Washington Fellowship – conferred on 32 young outstanding Ghanaians selected from 3,000 applicants who applied the flagship program of Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).

The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) initiated by the US government to resource young leaders in Africa to acquire skills in leadership and entrepreneurship.

The program is the brainchild of former US President Barack Obama to nurture a generation of African leaders to push economic growth, improve democracy and strengthen civil society structures that will make the continent a better place.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship connects young African leaders to leadership training opportunities at some of America’s top universities to expand their leadership skills and knowledge.

During a reception in honor of the 32 fellows, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Stephanie S. Sullivan, explained that these exchange programs do not only provide professional skills and networking opportunities but, provide the platform to form friendships and bonds between the two countries.

  “This goodwill leads to sustained relationships with tangible outcomes that contribute positively to Ghana’s development”,  she said.  The 32 Ghanaians comprise leaders from the business, public sector, and non-governmental organizations across the country.

Nana Adwoa Koranteng is expected to spend six weeks in the United States participating in professional development training in leadership in Business at the prestigious  University of Notre Dame, Indiana.