U.S. mission honours 10 outstanding Mandela Washington Fellows
By Busayo Onijala
Lagos, Dec. 18, 2025
The U.S. Mission in Nigeria has recognised 10 exceptional alumni whose achievements exemplify the core values of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
In a statement on Thursday, the mission said the honourees were recognised for their leadership, impact, integrity, innovation, collaboration, and service to their communities.
Those recognised include Aishah Buba, who received the Trailblazer Award for her mental health advocacy.
Likewise, Olusola Owonikoko and Emmanuel Obioha, received Alumni Collaboration Awards for advancing partnerships across the MWF, YALI, and U.S. exchange alumni networks.
Debola Deji-Kurunmi and Grace Jerry were honoured with the Leadership & Distinguished Service Awards for their longstanding contributions to leadership development and disability advocacy respectively.
Others include Adepeju Jaiyeoba, founder of Mother’s Delivery Kit, for the Leadership in Business: Enterprise & Innovation Award, Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti, founder of Herconomy, and Asher Adeniyi, CEO of Gidijobs and Eazipay.
Similarly, Oluwafunke Adeoye was honoured with the Leadership in Civic Engagement Award, while Chimdi Neliaku received the Leadership in Public Management Award.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MWF, established in 2014, has produced many outstanding leaders across the continent.
In Nigeria, 678 young professionals have participated in the programme out of a total of 7,800 young leaders in sub-Saharan Africa, and Nigeria remains the largest contributor of fellows each year.
NAN also reports that 54 fellows, selected from a pool of more than 7,400 applicants, recently completed the 2025 MWF at some U.S. colleges and universities.
U.S. Consul General, Rick Swart urged the fellows to uphold the highest standards of leadership as they leverage their experiences to make the United States and Nigeria safer, stronger, and more prosperous.
“The experiences you gained and the networks you forged during your exchange programme in the U.S. will continue to shape and elevate the work you do here at home.
“This will drive positive change that will resonate for generations to come,” he said.
