Josephine Kulea listens as President Barack Obama delivers remarks
during the Young African Leaders Initiative summit in Washington, DC, on
July 28, 2014. WHITE HOUSE PHOTO | PETE SOUZA
WASHINGTON, DC
The
United States will establish a leadership centre in Kenya to train
young East Africans for executive positions in business, government and
civil society, President Barack Obama announced Monday.
The
US president unveiled the initiative at the Young African Leaders
Initiative (YALI) summit in Washington attended by 46 Kenyans and about
450 youngsters from other African countries.
Other regional leadership centres will also be opened in Senegal, Ghana and South Africa, Mr Obama said.
“Starting
next year, young Africans can come to these centres to network and
access the latest technology, and get training in management and
entrepreneurship,” he said.
According to a statement
from the White House, the centre in Kenya will offer “a robust training
curriculum” developed by a public-private partnership involving Deloitte
and a New York-based financial advisory firm.
USAID FUNDING
Kenyatta
University, the Kenya School of Government and Africa Nazarene
University will also play roles in establishing the centre.
The
US Agency for International Development (USAid) is providing a total of
$38 million to establish the four regional centres, with additional
funding from African companies and foundations, the White House said.
“The
point of all of this is we believe in you,” Mr Obama told the YALI
participants, who were chosen from all 49 sub-Saharan countries. “I
believe in every one of you who are doing just extraordinary things.”
Young
people aged 25-35, who were selected for YALI, received fellowships to
enable them to study for six weeks at US universities.
The
summit, which will include a discussion on Wednesday with First Lady
Michelle Obama, caps the young Africans' experience in the US.
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