Mandela Washington Fellowship - Investing in Young African Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders
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P R O J E C T C O M P L E T I O N R E P O R T
Mandela Washington Fellowship
Investing in Young African
Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders
2014–2018
F A C T S A T A G L A N C E
PROJECT NAME Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders
PROJECT LOCATION University of Notre Dame
REGION REPRESENTED Africa:
Burkina Faso Côte d’Ivoire Ghana
Guinea Kenya Liberia
Mali Mauritania Mozambique
Namibia Niger Nigeria
Senegal South Africa Uganda Hardy
Zambia Zimbabwe
PROJECT DURATION 2014–2018
SPONSORS IBM Corporation
The Coca-Cola Foundation
U.S. Department of State
PARTNER Capsim
NOTRE DAME PRIMARY Mendoza College of Business Opio
NOTRE DAME PARTNERS
Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development (NDIGD)
Engineering, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship Excellence
Masters (ESTEEM) Program
Kellogg Institute’s Ford Family Program in Human Development
Studies and Solidarity
NOTRE DAME FACULTY Marc Hardy, Nonprofit Executive Education
Peter John Opio, Guest Professor, Marketing
Fr. Robert Dowd, C.S.C., Ford Program Dowd
John Michel, Management
Samuel Miller, Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship
David Murphy, ESTEEM
Melissa Paulsen, Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship
TOTAL PROJECT COST $370,000 per year
TOPICAL AREAS Commerce & Economic Development
Education
Human Development
Michel
Miller Murphy Paulsen
2 NDIGD.ND.EDU
P R O J E C T C O M P L E T I O N R E P O R T
Mandela Washington Fellowship
Investing in Young African Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders
THE PROGRAM
The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) is a signature effort to invest in the next
generation of African leaders. Nearly one in three Africans are between the ages of 10
and 24, and approximately 60 percent of Africa’s total population is below the age of 35.
President Obama launched YALI in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur
growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security
across Africa.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders
Initiative. This program brings leaders to the United States each year for leadership
training, academic coursework, and mentoring, and will create unique opportunities
in Africa to put those new skills to practical use in propelling economic growth and
prosperity and strengthening democratic institutions.
The University of Notre Dame is among an elite group of colleges and universities chosen
by the U.S. Department of State to host the Mandela Washington Fellows. In 2014, we
welcomed our inaugural class of 25 Fellows from 17 countries to Notre Dame. They
attended a six-week institute focused on business and entrepreneurship, led by Mendoza
College of Business faculty.
Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development 3
The Mandela Washington Fellowship includes:
• A six-week Academic and Leadership Institute: Fellows are placed at U.S. colleges and
universities for academic institutes. Institutes focus on skills development in one of three
areas: business and entrepreneurship, civic leadership, or public management.
• A Summit with President Obama in Washington, DC: At the conclusion of the
academic and leadership institute, all Fellows participated in a Presidential Summit.
The Summit took place in late July, 2014.
• An optional 8-week U.S. internship: As part of the Fellowship application,individuals
could apply to receive practical training at a U.S. business, civil society organization, or
public agency in the United States. 100 Washington Fellows were selected for the U.S.-
Community service at Unity Gardens
based internships, which took place in August and September, 2014.
• Activities in Africa: Fellows have the opportunity for continued networking, ongoing
professional development, access to seed funding, and community service activities
upon their return home after the Fellowship.
In addition to the U.S. Department of State, the University is supported in this effort
by the IBM Corporation and Coca-Cola Foundation’s 5by20 program, focused on
women entrepreneurs.
THE INSTITUTE AT NOTRE DAME
The focus of the University of Notre Dame institute was Leadership through Innovation
and Entrepreneurship. The coursework included readings and discussions about the need
for and application of innovation. It also required the development of a business plan and
of a personal leadership development plan (PDP). Additionally, the Fellows were divided
into five groups and were required to compete with each other through companies they
C controlled. This was a capstone project that included a winner at the
end and rewards for their accomplishments.
To be able to transform a society and bring about a sustainable change, effective, visionary,
competent, skilled and entrepreneurial leaders of unquestionable integrity are critical.
Chicago Cubs baseball game Entrepreneurship and innovation are the drivers of economic development and the main
sources of value and wealth creation. The various modules and course units were designed
to unleash the creativity of the participants, and develop the requisite competencies
and skills they need to grow, sustain, and lead competitive enterprises. Seminar sessions
explored successful frameworks, cases, strategies, funding techniques, and business
models for new venture creation. Topics included business model innovation, design-
driven innovation, leadership, talent management, information technology, knowledge
management, process improvement, performance measurement, and change management.
Site visits, cultural events, and community service were scheduled each week in addition
to the classroom work. These activities outside the classroom were critical to the Fellows’
experience in seeing the business and entrepreneurship skills in action, learning about
the melting pot of American culture, and experiencing the strong volunteer ethic in this
country. Activities included:
Mamadou Dramé (Senegal) and • site visits to Better World Books, enFocus, Union Station Technologies, City of South
Ali Karim Alio (Niger)
Bend, Tire Rack, and Innovation Park
4 NDIGD.ND.EDU
• a weekend trip to Chicago, including site visits to IBM’s Innovation Center
Chicago, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Capsim; and a Chicago Cubs baseball game
• cultural visits to the Amish community in Shipshewana, South Bend Silverhawks
baseball game on the 4th of July, a soul food dinner, and a music festival on Lake
Michigan in St. Joseph, Michigan
• visits with host families in the community
• community service at Unity Gardens, YWCA, Center for Hospice, neighborhood
cleanup, the American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club, and a local food bank
• a weekend to Indianapolis, including site visits to Eli Lilly & Company and Cummins;
a visit with U.S. Congressman Andre Carson; local events and museum visits Boys & Girls Club
The logistics of housing, feeding, teaching, and mentoring 25 people from 17 foreign
countries—most of whom have never been to the United States before—was daunting,
but in the end very successful. Planning for the program began in February, 2014, with a
network of more than a dozen individuals from several departments, which included a core
team of 8 individuals who were involved in the day-to-day operation of the program.
Following the six-week institute, the Fellows traveled to Washington, D.C., for a three-
day Young African Leaders Summit. Featured speakers over the three days were President
Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, National Security
Advisor Susan Rice, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, and U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations Samantha Power.
IMPACT
Many Fellows said, both verbally and in various surveys, that this program was life-
changing for them, and continues to be so upon their return home. The Notre Dame
community welcomed these 25 impressive and engaging individuals as part of its family,
Millenium Park, Chicago
In Indianapolis with U.S. Congressman Carson and Mark Levett from Cummins Work in the classroom
Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development 5
and now, its alumni network. In that spirit, the University continues to build and maintain
relationships with the Fellows. Some examples include:
• A Ugandan Fellow is working with NDIGD and Notre Dame Athletics to develop a
system in which student-athletes can donate lightly-used gear to communities in Africa.
These students also want to combine this donation with service projects on
the continent.
• NDIGD has partnered with a South African Fellow on a project in partnership with
Accenture and HP to expand Connectivity, Electricity, Education for Entrepreneurship
from pilot sites in Uganda into South Africa. The Fellow is providing regional and
technical expertise in designing the project in South Africa.
Mildred Apenyo (Uganda)
• A committee of Fellows and local South Bend partners is looking at ways to foster
collaboration between the local business, arts, and cultural communities and countries
in Africa, capitalizing on an international festival already happening in the South Bend
area. Future plans include launching a social enterprise business.
• A registered nurse and Fellow from Liberia, shared her stories from the front lines of the
Ebola outbreak after returning home. Her work—and her country’s needs—inspired and
mobilized faculty, staff, and students at Notre Dame to launch a fundraising campaign.
We look forward to welcoming the cohort of 2015 Mandela Washington Fellows to the
University of Notre Dame!
THE IMPACT OF OUR SPONSORS
Simply put, this program would not have been possible without the generous funding of
our corporate sponsors, IBM Corporation and The Coca-Cola Foundation. In addition to
providing the financial groundwork for the program, the companies made an extra effort
to be a part of the program and work with the Fellows.
Fellows listen as IBM’s Gloria
Powell talks about IBM activities
in Africa, including the Innovation
Center in Nairobi, Kenya
South African Fellows at the
IBM Innovation Center
Arriving at IBM’s Innovation Center, Chicago
6 NDIGD.ND.EDU
Reda Chafai, right, vice president of
Capsim, says goodbye to YALI Fellows
after their visit to Capsim in Chicago
The Fellows with Carlos Pagoaga of The Coca-Cola Foundation
The IBM Corporation’s involvement began with a pilot program at Notre Dame in
2012. The University hosted six African leaders for a seven-week training course that was
integrated into the MBA curriculum. Led by Rev. Robert Dowd, C.S.C., director of the
Ford Program and assistant professor of political science, the training was facilitated by
Mendoza College of Business faculty and IBM representatives.
During 2014’s Mandela Washington Fellowship, IBM experts sent at least one instructor Coca-Cola personalized cans for the
Fellows as part of their 2014 “Share
each week to Notre Dame’s campus to deliver courses on business plans, leadership,
a Coke” campaign.
understanding markets, funding options, and ethics. The chief scientist in IBM’s Kenya
research lab travelled all the way from Nairobi to give an inspiring and energetic talk
on IBM’s Project Lucy. Additionally, the Fellows visited the IBM Innovation Center in
Chicago, learning about the Innovation Centers recently launched in Africa, and several
IBM leaders came to Notre Dame for final presentations during the institute’s final week.
The Coca-Cola Foundation supports the Mandela Washington Fellowship with a particular
interest in women. The Coca-Cola Company has made a global commitment to empower
women to thrive in business. In 2010, The Coca-Cola Company announced plans to
empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by the year 2020. Carlos Pagoaga, Director of
Community Affairs, came to campus and discussed Coca-Cola’s efforts around the world
not only in building local business capacity, but also in lending their expertise to African
governments to improve healthcare infrastructure and vaccine distribution.
Also supporting this effort was Capsim, a business simulation software company based in
Chicago. Capsim generously provided software licenses for the Fellows, and the business
Ndeye Awa Gueye (Senegal) and
simulation exercises have been an integral component of the curriculum at Notre Dame. Amine Ilboudo (Burkina Faso)
In addition, Capsim served as a host in Chicago and joined the Fellows on campus for
their final presentations.
Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development 7
940 Grace Hall University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (574) 631-2940 globaldevelopment@nd.edu ndigd.nd.edu
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