The inaugural U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, hosted by President Barack Obama over three days in July 2014 in Washington, D.C., so inspired billionaire entrepreneur-philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa that he created an Africa Business Fellowship for young American business professionals.
The response from Americans has been overwhelming, the fellowship’s partners say.
“It’s been exciting to see the response from African and US businesses, business schools here in the US, and prospective candidates interested in participating in the fellowship. The fellowship has been really well received by leading African businesses interested in hosting Fellows. There’s also been a great deal of interest from U.S. business schools and top companies that recognize how valuable this experience would be for their students and high-achieving associates,” John Rice, founder and CEO of Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), told AfricaStrictlyBusiness.com in an interview.
Masiyiwa, the London-based Zimbabwean founder and chairman of Econet Wireless Group, a diversified telecommunications group with operations and investments in Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, partnered with MLT, The Milken Institute and African Leadership Network (ALN) to create the fellowship, which will match young American business professionals with companies in Africa, mainly those owned and successfully operated by Africans.
“Strive announced the fellowship in April at the 2015 Milken Institute Global Conference, where His Excellency President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, along with business and government leaders from Africa, the U.S., and around the world were in attendance. Coming out of President Obama’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit last year, [he] was inspired to provide an opportunity for young American business professionals to gain hand-on experience learning from African business leaders,” Rice said.
The inaugural class of Africa Business Fellows – young men and women who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents – will be placed in various companies for three to six months, during which time they will be exposed to African business operations and local cultures, and will develop relationships with peers and senior African executives. The experience will add value both to the fellows and the firms with which they are working, Rice said.
Applications for the June 2016 inaugural class of Africa Business Fellows are being accepted until the final deadline on November 9. Applications may be completed online at www.africabusinessfellowship.com.
“The main goal of the fellowship is to increase U.S.-Africa business relationships. We believe that by exposing high-achieving American professionals to African business during the most formative stages of their careers, we are setting the stage for increased U.S.-African investment and more meaningful collaboration,” Rice said.
The ideal candidate, he explained, will have a graduate degree from a top university and/or five or more years of meaningful business experience. Fellows will be professionals with highly transferable business skills and strong leadership potential, with a passion for learning about business in Africa and promoting U.S.-Africa business relationships.
Applicants are required to provide detailed information about their education and work experience; transcripts from their undergraduate and graduate schools; essay responses that speak to their skills, interests, and career objectives; and a two-minute video in which they discuss a particular passion of theirs and demonstrate their communication skills. Candidates are also required to provide one or two recommendations from individuals who can speak to their strengths, weaknesses, leadership potential, and ability to collaborate in teams with others.
A selection committee will review applications, interview selected candidates, and determine where to place those who are chosen. Only then will selected candidates receive a formal offer to participate in the Fellowship.
“This fellowship is in contrast to a substantial number of existing fellowships and exchanges that focus on developing Africans by exposing them to European, Asian, and American business practices,” Rice said. “By providing an opportunity for American business professionals to learn directly from African business leaders, the Africa Business Fellowship is an excellent opportunity to balance this transfer of knowledge and create long-term, mutually beneficial exchange between African and American businesses. This is a radically different approach to intercultural exchange that places value on Africa’s contributions to shaping global business.”
Applications have been pouring in, he said. “We’ve also had a fantastic response from interested candidates. The Round One application deadline was October 1st. We were pleased to have a very strong pool of candidates with diverse backgrounds and impressive track records as emerging business leaders. The selection process will be especially difficult as we’re only selecting ten to fifteen fellows in this inaugural year of the program.”
In the long run, Rice noted, “this ground-breaking initiative will help to develop a more nuanced view of Africa among future American CEOs and government leaders, changing their career trajectories and positioning them to contribute meaningfully to Africa’s economic growth.”
