The West African Alumni chapter of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), will hold its first Alumni Homecoming Conference from Thursday 23rd November 2017 to Sunday 26th November 2017.
The conference is themed “The Role of the Youth in Socio-Economic and Political Transformation in Africa.”
The conference, which is being convened at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), is the first since the establishment of the YALI Regional Leadership Centre West Africa, Accra in 2014, and will bring together over 200 alumni from ten West African countries namely; Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia and Cameroon.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ID4yEFHWulYSfALRBCR4KrMjQ1t7KalX”]The 3-day conference will begin with an opening session that will have presentations and panel discussions from guest speakers including Ghana’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Minister of Finance, Minister for Trade, GIPC boss, founder of Ashesi among others.
The Homecoming conference is infused with other activities which include; Exhibition of Partners and Alumni works, General Assembly, an Outreach and Funfair at Royal Senchi Hotel, and the launch of an Alumni Award Scheme which will be chaired by Ghana’s former President Jerry John Rawlings.
Initiated by President Barack Obama, the creation of Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Centres (RLCs) in Africa is a central part of the US Government’s effort to invest in the next generation of African Leaders.
The YALI RLC West Africa, Accra was established through a public-private partnership and offers experimental learning program for young Africans in three tracks: public management, civic leadership, and business and entrepreneurship.
The curriculum also examines Leadership, Ethics and Contemporary Issues Affecting Africa, among many other transformational topics.
The Regional Leadership Center has managed to train over 2000 participants since its inception, and aims to train at least 1,200 young African Leaders annually.
The YALI RLCs are a collaborative effort between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in close partnership with the MasterCard Foundation, GIMPA, Africa 2.0 and other international and private sector partners.
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Credit: Derby Prakah Asante