With Malaria being one of the killer diseases for children under 5 years and pregnant mothers in Africa, the 9th cohort of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, 2025 got an opportunity to interact with Vector Genetic Lab team to learn about the new tools to control and overview of the UCMI program.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Since 2014, nearly 7,200 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Fellowship. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished leaders and have established records of promoting innovation and positive impact in their communities and countries.

Starting in 2016, UC Davis was selected as one of the universities across the U.S. to host the Mandela Washington Fellowship within Global Affairs. The Fellows increase their knowledge of the U.S., grow their professional networks, and gain the skills and connections they need to accelerate their own career trajectories and contribute more robustly to these democratic, peace-building ideals.