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The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is hosting four awardees of the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship under President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) initiative.

The Fellows, who will be hosted by the MFWA for six months, are Ms. Mirable Nfihkela Ngong from Cameroun, Mr. Omotola Samuel Oni from Nigeria, Ms. Emile Essan Ako from Cote D’Ivoire, and Mr. Felix Dela Klutse from Ghana.

These Fellows have experiences from diverse tracks spanning youth and girls empowerment, community mobilisation, Media and Citizens’ participation in governance, gender empowerment, business and entrepreneurship.

The YALI fellowship, the flagship programme of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative was launched in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.

“We are pleased to be one of the few organisations on the continent to have the opportunity of hosting and working with these exceptional young Africans who have demonstrated excellence in their different fields of endeavor,” said Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the MFWA.

“As a regional organisation, it is great to host and work with people from different countries and backgrounds. We are hopeful that they will contribute to promote freedom of expression and good governance in the West Africa region, and leave with enhanced knowledge and skills for their future endeavours.”

Ms. Mirable Ngong is hopeful of learning and contributing to the work of the MFWA. “Working with the dynamic team at MFWA is fulfilling and a platform to sharpen my advocacy, media and external communication skills as I contribute my knowledge, skills and expertise to MFWA’s work,” she said.

For his part, Mr. Oni looks forward to contributing his expertise and experience in entrepreneurship and youth engagement to advance opportunities for the youth and increase youth participation in governance processes in the region.