Call for Application Readers for the 2027 Mandela Washington Fellowship (Honorarium available)
Deadline: October 13, 2026
IREX is seeking academic, professional, and regional experts to serve as application readers for the 2027 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
About the Mandela Washington Fellowship
The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship exchange program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
In summer 2027, the Fellowship will bring up to 550 accomplished young African leaders to the United States for a comprehensive, executive-style program designed to strengthen leadership skills, build professional networks, and support collaboration between African and American counterparts.
Fellows participate in academic coursework, professional site visits, and structured networking activities. The program focuses on strengthening collaboration in areas including U.S.-Africa trade and economic prosperity, technological innovation, and peace and security.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is a program of the U.S. Department of State, funded by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.
Call for Application Readers
IREX is looking for individuals who can review and score applications using established guidelines and a structured scoring rubric.
Over the past twelve years, application readers have helped assess nearly 478,000 applications from 49 sub-Saharan African countries for approximately 7,800 Fellowship places.
Serving as an application reader provides an opportunity to contribute to a fair and merit-based selection process while gaining insight into emerging priorities, challenges, and locally driven solutions across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Readers may also gain valuable exposure to fellowship selection practices, promising African leaders, and key issues affecting the continent.
Who Can Apply?
The opportunity is particularly suited to academics, professionals, and regional experts with expertise in one or more of the Fellowship’s thematic areas:
- Business and trade
- Emerging technologies
- Governance and security
Experience working in Africa or on sub-Saharan African issues is also relevant.
While expertise in these areas is ideal, it is not a requirement to serve as a reader.
Reader Honorarium
Eligible readers may opt to receive a one-time $100 honorarium for their service.
However:
- U.S. Government employees and contractors are not eligible to receive the honorarium.
- IREX cannot make international wire payments.
- Readers receiving the honorarium must have a U.S. bank account in their own name capable of receiving an ACH/direct deposit transfer.
- Eligible readers who choose to receive the honorarium must submit a completed W-9 form to IREX for tax purposes.
Application Deadline and Reading Period
Interested individuals should complete the 2027 Reader Application by:
📅 October 13, 2026
The application reading period is expected to begin in mid-October 2026 and continue through mid-November 2026. Selected readers will be contacted by IREX in October.
How to Apply
To support the selection of the next cohort of Mandela Washington Fellows, complete the Reader Application before the October 13, 2026 deadline.
Please feel free to share this opportunity with qualified colleagues and professional networks.
Questions?
For questions about becoming an application reader, contact:
Interested professionals are invited to complete the Reader Application by October 13, 2026.
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