Sec. 275. Support for Young African Leaders Initiative
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Congress finds that youth in Africa can have a positive impact on efforts to foster economic growth, improve public sector transparency and governance, and counter extremism, and should be an area of focus for United States outreach on the continent. It is the policy of the United States, in cooperation and collaboration with private sector companies, civic organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and national and regional public sector entities, to commit resources to enhancing the entrepreneurship and leadership skills of African youth with the objective of enhancing their ability to serve as leaders in the public and private sectors in order to help them spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security in their respective countries of origin and across Africa.
There is hereby established the Young African Leaders Initiative, to be carried out by the Secretary of State. The Secretary is authorized to support the participation in the Initiative established under this paragraph, in the United States, of fellows from Africa each year for such education and training in leadership and professional development through the Department of State as the Secretary of State considers appropriate. The Secretary shall establish and publish criteria for eligibility for participation as such a fellow, and for selection of fellows among eligible applicants for a fellowship.
Under the Initiative, United States citizens may engage in such reciprocal exchanges in connection with and collaboration on projects with fellows under paragraph
(1)as the Secretary considers appropriate. The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall establish each of the following: Not fewer than four regional centers in Africa to provide in-person and online training throughout the year in business and entrepreneurship, civic leadership, and public management. An online network that provides information and online courses on, and connections with leaders in, the private and public sectors in Africa. It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should increase the number of fellows from Africa in the Young African Leaders Initiative above the number that participated in the Initiative in fiscal year 2020 .