Secretary Blinken to Deliver Remarks at the Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit for Young African Leaders

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will deliver closing remarks at the Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit  on Wednesday, August 2, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. EDT at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Secretary Blinken’s remarks will be open press and streamed live on the Department homepage and the Department YouTube channel. To register for in-person coverage, please complete the Summit media registration form . Call time and access instructions will be provided to all registered media prior to the event.

Other Summit speakers include Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Elizabeth Allen, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, other government officials, and private sector leaders.

The Summit, which runs from July 31 to August 2, brings together nearly 700 of Sub-Saharan Africa’s promising young leaders to meet and network with each other, U.S. government officials, and private sector and civil society representatives to build relationships that will expand U.S. organizations’ impact and reach on the continent.

The Summit follows six weeks of academic study and leadership development for the Fellows at 28 higher education institutions as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders . Alumni of the Fellowship are playing a role in enhancing peace and security, spurring economic growth, and strengthening democratic institutions across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Media RSVPs are handled via the Fellowship’s implementing partner, IREX. Complete the registration form  to request credentials and receive a schedule of open-press events.

Credentialed media representatives may attend select events upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government–issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver’s license, passport).

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by IREX.

For more information about the Mandela Washington Fellowship, visit www.mandelawashingtonfellowship.org . For further information from the Department of State, please contact [email protected].