II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 3160 

To establish a comprehensive United States Government initiative to build 

the capacity of young leaders and entrepreneurs in Africa, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 26, 2023 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself and Mr. ROUNDS) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To establish a comprehensive United States Government initiative to build the capacity of young leaders and entrepreneurs in Africa, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Young African Leaders 

5 Initiative Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘YALI Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that— 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 3160 IS

1 (1) the Young African Leaders Initiative, 

2 launched in 2010, is a signature effort to invest in 

3 the next generation of African leaders; 

4 (2) Africa is a continent of strategic importance 

5 and it is vital for the United States to support 

6 strong and enduring partnerships with the next gen7 eration of African leaders; 

8 (3) the United States Government should 

9 prioritize investments to build the capacity of emerg10 ing young African leaders in sub-Saharan Africa, in11 cluding through efforts to— 

12 (A) enhance leadership skills; 

13 (B) encourage entrepreneurship; 

14 (C) strengthen public administration and 

15 the role of civil society; 

16 (D) enhance peace and security in their re17 spective countries of origin and across Africa; 

18 and 

19 (E) connect young African leaders con20 tinentally and globally across the private, civic, 

21 and public sectors; 

22 (4) youth in Africa have a positive impact on 

23 efforts to foster economic growth, improve public 

24 sector transparency and governance, and counter exVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:18 Oct 28, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3160.IS S3160

ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 3160 IS

1 tremism, and should be an area of focus for United 

2 States outreach on the African continent; and 

3 (5) the Secretary of State should— 

4 (A) increase the number of fellows from 

5 Africa participating in the Mandela Washington 

6 Fellowship above the estimated 700 fellows who 

7 participated during fiscal year 2021; and 

8 (B) identify additional ways to connect 

9 YALI alumni to United States public and pri10 vate resources and institutions. 

11 SEC. 3. YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE PROGRAM. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established the Young 

13 African Leaders Initiative (referred to in this section as 

14 ‘‘YALI’’), which shall be carried out by the Secretary of 

15 State. 

16 (b) PURPOSE.—YALI shall seek to build the capacity 

17 of young African leaders in sub-Saharan Africa in the 

18 areas of business, civic engagement, or public administra19 tion, including through efforts— 

20 (1) to support young African leaders by offering 

21 professional development, training, and networking 

22 opportunities, particularly in the areas of leadership, 

23 innovation, civic engagement, elections, human 

24 rights, entrepreneurship, good governance, peace and 

25 security, and public administration; and 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 3160 IS

1 (2) to provide increased economic and technical 

2 assistance to young African leaders to promote eco3 nomic growth, strengthen ties between United States 

4 and African businesses, build resilience to predatory 

5 lending practices, and improve capacity in key eco6 nomic areas such as tendering, bidding, and contract 

7 negotiations, budget management and oversight, 

8 anti-corruption, and establishment of clear policy 

9 and regulatory practices. 

10 (c) FELLOWSHIPS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—YALI shall support the par12 ticipation in the United States in the Mandela 

13 Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders 

14 of fellows from Africa who— 

15 (A) are between 25 and 35 years of age; 

16 (B) have demonstrated strong capabilities 

17 in entrepreneurship, innovation, public service, 

18 and leadership; and 

19 (C) have had a positive impact in their 

20 communities, organizations, or institutions. 

21 (2) OVERSIGHT.—The fellowships described in 

22 paragraph (1) shall be overseen by the Secretary of 

23 State through the Bureau of Educational and Cul24 tural Affairs. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 3160 IS

1 (3) ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary of State shall 

2 establish and publish— 

3 (A) eligibility criteria for participation as a 

4 fellow under paragraph (1); and 

5 (B) criteria for determining which eligible 

6 applicants will be selected. 

7 (d) RECIPROCAL EXCHANGES.—Subject to the ap8 proval of the Secretary of State, United States citizens 

9 may— 

10 (1) engage in reciprocal exchanges in connec11 tion with alumni of the fellowship described in sub12 section (c); and 

13 (2) collaborate on projects with such fellowship 

14 alumni. 

15 (e) REGIONAL LEADERSHIP CENTERS AND NET16 WORKS.—The Administrator of the United States Agency 

17 for International Development shall establish— 

18 (1) not fewer than 4 regional leadership centers 

19 in sub-Saharan Africa to offer in-person and online 

20 training throughout the year on business and entre21 preneurship, civic leadership, and public manage22 ment to young African leaders who are between 18 

23 and 35 years of age, have demonstrated strong capa24 bilities in entrepreneurship, innovation, public serv25 ice and leadership, and peace-building and conflict 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 3160 IS

1 resolution, and have had a positive impact in their 

2 communities, organizations, or institutions; and 

3 (2) an online network that provides information 

4 and courses on, and connections with leaders in, the 

5 private and public sectors of Africa. 

6 (f) ACTIVITIES.— 

7 (1) UNITED STATES-BASED ACTIVITIES.—The 

8 Secretary of State, in coordination with the heads of 

9 relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall 

10 oversee all United States-based activities carried out 

11 under YALI, including— 

12 (A) the participation of Mandela Wash13 ington Fellows in a 6-week Leadership Institute 

14 at a United States educational institution in 

15 business, civic engagement, or public manage16 ment, including academic sessions, site visits, 

17 professional networking opportunities, leader18 ship training, community service, and organized 

19 cultural activities; and 

20 (B) the participation by Mandela Wash21 ington fellows in an annual Mandela Wash22 ington Fellowship Summit, to provide such Fel23 lows the opportunity to meet with United States 

24 leaders from the private, public, and nonprofit 

25 sectors. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 3160 IS

1 (2) AFRICA-BASED ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary 

2 of State, in coordination with the Administrator for 

3 the United States Agency for International Develop4 ment and the heads of other relevant Federal de5 partments and agencies, should continue to support 

6 YALI activities in sub-Saharan Africa, including— 

7 (A) continued leadership training and 

8 other professional development opportunities for 

9 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young Af10 rican Leaders alumni upon their return to their 

11 home countries, including online courses, tech12 nical assistance, and access to funding; 

13 (B) training for young African leaders at 

14 regional leadership centers established pursuant 

15 to subsection (e), and through online and in16 person courses offered by such centers; and 

17 (C) opportunities for networking and en18 gagement with— 

19 (i) alumni of the Mandela Washington 

20 Fellowship for Young African Leaders; 

21 (ii) alumni of programs at regional 

22 leadership centers established pursuant to 

23 subsection (e); 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 3160 IS

1 (iii) United States and like-minded 

2 diplomatic missions, business leaders, and 

3 others as appropriate; and 

4 (iv) where practicable and appro5 priate, other United States-funded regional 

6 leadership programs, including the Young 

7 Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative 

8 (YSEALI), the Young Leaders of the 

9 Americas Initiative (YLAI), the Young Pa10 cific Leaders (YPL), and the Young 

11 Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative 

12 (YTILI), and through Department of 

13 State programs such as the Community 

14 Engagement Exchange Program and other 

15 initiatives. 

16 (3) IMPLEMENTATION.—To carry out this sub17 section, the Secretary of State, in coordination with 

18 the Administrator of the United States Agency for 

19 International Development and the heads of other 

20 relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall 

21 seek to partner with the private sector to pursue 

22 public-private partnerships, leverage private sector 

23 expertise, expand networking opportunities, and 

24 identify funding opportunities and fellowship and 

25 employment opportunities for YALI. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 3160 IS

1 (g) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—Not later than 180 

2 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec3 retary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of 

4 the United States Agency for International Development 

5 and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and 

6 agencies, shall submit a plan to the appropriate congres7 sional committees for implementing YALI, including— 

8 (1) a description of clearly defined program 

9 goals, targets, and planned outcomes for each year 

10 and for the duration of implementation of the pro11 gram; 

12 (2) a strategy to monitor and evaluate the pro13 gram and progress made toward achieving such 

14 goals, targets, and planned outcomes; and 

15 (3) a strategy to ensure the program is pro16 moting United States foreign policy goals in Africa, 

17 including ensuring that the program is clearly 

18 branded, paired with robust public diplomacy efforts, 

19 and incorporates diversity among participants as 

20 practicable, including countries and communities in 

21 Africa facing economic distress, civil conflict, 

22 marginalization, and other challenges. 

23 (h) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

24 of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 

25 the following 4 years, the Secretary of State, in coordinaVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:18 Oct 28, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3160.IS S3160

ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 3160 IS

1 tion with the Administrator of the United States Agency 

2 for International Development, shall submit to the appro3 priate congressional committees and publish in a publicly 

4 accessible, internet-based form, a report that includes— 

5 (1) a description of the progress made toward 

6 achieving the goals, targets, and planned outcomes 

7 described in subsection (g)(1), including an overview 

8 of the program implemented in the previous year 

9 and an estimated number of beneficiaries; 

10 (2) an assessment of how YALI is contributing 

11 to and promoting United States-Africa relations, 

12 particularly in areas of increased private sector in13 vestment, trade promotion, support to civil society, 

14 improved public administration, promoting peace 

15 and security, and fostering entrepreneurship and 

16 youth empowerment; 

17 (3) recommendations for improvements or 

18 changes to YALI and the implementation plan, if 

19 any, that would improve their effectiveness during 

20 subsequent years of YALI’s implementation; and 

21 (4) for the first report submitted under this 

22 subsection, an assessment of the feasibility of ex23 panding YALI to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, 

24 and Egypt. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 3160 IS

1 (i) DEFINED TERM.—In this section, the term ‘‘ap2 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

3 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

4 Senate; 

5 (2) the Committee on Appropriations of the 

6 Senate; 

7 (3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

8 House of Representatives; and 

9 (4) the Committee on Appropriations of the 

10 House of Representatives. 

11 (j) SUNSET.—This section shall cease to have effect 

12 on the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment 

13 of this Act. 

Æ 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with BILLS