President Obama will rename a program designed to foster a new generation of young African leaders after late former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Obama is expected to announce the name change at a town hall-style event Monday in Washington. 

From Huffington Post:

The youngsters are participating in the inaugural Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, part of the broader Young African Leaders Initiative that Obama launched in 2010 to support a new generation of leadership there. The fellowship is being renamed as a tribute to Mandela, who died last December at age 95.

Obama announced the fellowship during a stop in South Africa last summer. It connects young African leaders to leadership training opportunities at top U.S. universities.

In remarks at Monday’s event, Obama also was announcing new public-private partnerships to create more programs for young African leaders, including four regional leadership centers across Africa, online classes and other resources, the White House said.

Read more at Huffington Post

This week’s events with the next generation of young African leaders are a lead-in to the inaugural U.S-Africa Leaders Summit, being held Aug. 4-6 in Washington.

About 50 leaders are expected to attend what the White House says will be the largest gathering any U.S. president has held with African heads of state and government.

What a wonderful way to honor Mr. Mandela’s legacy!

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