Co-op Cincy is proud to announce that it has been selected to host Arindo Akweni, a Fellow from the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the Professional Development Experience (PDE) component of the U.S. Department of State’s Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders from August 7 to September 1, 2023.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities, and local community engagement. YALI was created in 2010 and supports young Africans as they spur economic growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa.
Arindo is an agricultural engineer who holds a PhD in crop production and food processing from the University of Zululand in South Africa. During his Fellowship, he will deepen his understanding of the cooperative business model, agricultural practices, and grant writing while helping support food-related cooperatives.
Arindo said, “As an agricultural expert, I intend to contribute to changing the sad narrative of my country which is known to possess the largest fertile lands in the world and a lot of business opportunities but is still ranked among the poorest countries in the world with the highest rate of food shortage and poverty.”
Since 2014, the U.S. Department of State has supported nearly 5,800 Mandela Washington Fellows from across Sub-Saharan Africa to develop their leadership skills and foster connections and collaboration with U.S. professionals.
Kristen Barker, Co-Director of Co-op Cincy, said, “I am really grateful to have someone with Arindo’s background and fresh perspective to help us with some of our food cooperatives, which have the lowest margins.”
Kristen pointed out that the cooperative business model is common across the world and that Arindo was already familiar with it. “For many people, this is just how business works,” she said.
Twenty-eight U.S. educational institutions hosted Leadership Institutes for the approximately 700 Mandela Washington Fellows in June and July. The six-week program supported the development of Fellows’ leadership skills through academic study, workshops, mentoring, networking with U.S. leaders, and collaboration with members of the local community.
After the Leadership Institutes, Fellows participated in the Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit, where they took part in networking and panel discussions with each other and with U.S. leaders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors.
Up to 100 competitively selected Fellows also participate in four weeks of professional development with U.S. non-governmental organizations such as Co-op Cincy, private companies, and government agencies. The PDE component allows Fellows to learn and grow as young professionals while providing enriching opportunities for U.S. organizations to participate in collaborative exchanges.
