ANNOUNCING 2023 MILEAD FELLOWS:
AFRICA’S MOST EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG WOMEN LEADERS
Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa is proud to announce and welcome 27 outstanding young African women leaders representing 26 countries as part of the 2023 cohort of MILEAD Fellowship.
The 25 Fellows were selected through a highly competitive process by a diverse selection committee from over 3,100 applications. Each candidate was assessed based on their demonstrated community service accomplishments, outstanding leadership promise, and commitment to the advancement of women and social justice in Africa.
“These extraordinary leaders we introduce to the world today, are ready to connect and collaborate with the distinguished cadre of MILEAD Fellows representing 46 African countries and the diaspora. Equipped, Inspired and Engaged, these dynamic leaders will pursue a transformative agenda anchored in a truly Pan-African spirit, with a collective commitment to lead, shift power, and transform our great continent. The world needs to know these impactful young leaders, and, more importantly, it needs to support their cause for dignity, advancement, and justice for our people”- 2023 MILEAD Selection Committee
The 2023 MILEAD Fellows represent a rich geographic, social, and professional diversity- with a shared vision for a developed and equitable Africa. Representing 28 countries from across the continent and the African Diaspora, the 2023 Fellows are boldly leading change at various levels on critical issues ranging from public health and women’s mental health, entrepreneurship and agriculture, to women’s participation in politics and innovation. They are a new generation of African women leaders ready to provide the transformational leadership needed to shift power and lift African women and our continent to their rightful place in the world. Here are the honoured 2023 Fellows
- Fatoumata DRABO [Burkina Faso]
- Sandrine Yaah MITIN [Cameroon]
- Roukhaya Mahamat TRAORÉ [Chad]
- N’da Lucette D. GUINAN [Cote d’Ivoire/ Senegal]
- Portia DUMBA [Ghana]
- Dr. Setor NORGBE [Ghana]
- Dr. Rahama ISSAH [Ghana]
- Mariama CONEH [Gambia]
- Hawa DIALLO [Guinea]
- Grace Mongina OSINDE [Kenya]
- Wilnet S.Z. GAYE [Liberia]
- Anjara Diavolana N ANDRIAMAHAZAKA [Madagascar]
- Tenin Sékou CISSOUMA [Mali]
- Jhaklin M. DO ROSÁRIO [Mozambique]
- Fenny Mbahimwa TUTJAVI [Namibia]
- Haoua YAHAYA HASSANE [Niger]
- Oluwaseun Mercy IDOWU [Nigeria]
- Suad Jama ABDULLAHI [Somalia]
- Rosina MOTHAPO [South Africa]
- Rogaia Hussain ABDULAZIZ DUGES [Sudan]
- Yaar Mary AYUEN [Uganda|South Sudan]
- Chimwemwe CHITAMBALA [Zambia]
- Rufaro Ethelda DESHE [Zimbwbwe]
- Enass Abdalla Abdelrahman ABDELLA [Diaspora| Sudan| Italy]
- Doris KIWELU [Diaspora|Tanzania| China]
Upon completion of the yearlong leadership training, these new fellows will join the broader MILEAD Fellows Network of over 300 exceptional young leaders, who share a commitment to shape the future of Africa and their respective communities. Together, they form a growing and powerful pan-African community that can dramatically impart the lived reality of our people.
THE 2023 MILEAD FELLOWS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
The MILEAD Fellows will converge in Accra, Ghana to kick-start the 2023 MILEAD Leadership Institute – a three-week intensive training program – which will be hosted at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. The Institute will serve as a platform for Fellows to cross-examine concepts of leadership in a broad African context, cultivate the skills and experiences necessary to access and thrive in leadership positions, and gain knowledge on cutting-edge issues critical to African women and their communities. In addition to knowledge building lectures, skills-training workshops, teambuilding activities, role plays and other interactive activities, Fellows will be mentored by accomplished and inspiring women leaders committed to supporting and nurturing the next generation of African women leaders.
ABOUT THE MILEAD FELLOWS PROGRAM
The MILEAD Fellows Program is a bold and paradigm-shifting initiative committed to the long-term leadership development of promising young leaders selected as Fellows. Fellows benefit from a combination of training, experiential learning and mentoring crafted to build knowledge and skills, strengthen networks, and facilitate a supportive eco-system of women’s leadership on critical issues. In addition, the program links determined young women with influential and seasoned African leaders who are committed to inspiring and empowering the next generation. Most importantly, Fellows benefit from lifelong solidarity and support through the MILEAD Network. One of the distinguishing features of our program is the deliberate integration of community service to the yearlong training. Each Fellow will initiate and lead a community change (MiCHANGE) project on a critical issue of importance to their community or African women as a whole.
We are grateful for the partnership and support of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) for the 2023 MILEAD program. We are equally appreciative of the hardwork and dedication of our selection committee members who made it possible to assess the huge number of applications. And we recognize and celebrate the over 3,100 candidates both for their work and for their interest in the MILEAD program. We extend gratitude to our programming partners from across the continent and beyond, who continue to enrich and sustain this important task of inspiring, preparing and equipping a new generation of leaders to help transform our great continent and help create a more equal and just world.