Structure

In the Africa's Potential Series, high-level leaders from Africa and beyond engage, converse, and deliberate with our YALP fellows on Africa's contemporary challenges, current policy debates and the role of leaders in the transformation of Africa.

The series focuses on topics relevant to the latest evolutions and innovations in transnational governance of relevance for Africa at national and regional levels. Throughout the series, fellows increase their knowledge about relevant policy areas. The executive trainings will focus on Agenda 2063 and SDGs, AU-EU partnership, governance, peace and security, democracy and human rights, justice and the rule of law, gender and societal transformation, youth employment, migration and mobility, trade and financial regulation, digital transformation and access, climate change and environmental protection, sustainable development and the private sector, civil society and grass root movements.

Speakers are selected based on their current or previous leadership experience, their policy expertise, or practical work in Africa or on African issues. They represent a wide range of African and European institutions of governance, universities and think tanks. The programme management pays particular attention to ensuring balance in terms of gender and regional expertise.

Conversations with high-level leaders

Within the framework of the Africa’s Potential Series, several high-level speakers will engage in an interactive discussion with fellows on their topic of expertise.

“We believe that our fellows, the wider YALP network and the EUI community will benefit from the reflections on life-long leadership experiences and expertise of African leaders and fellows on the state of Africa and its relations with the rest of the world," underlines Mehari Taddele Maru, Academic Coordinator of the YALP Programme

All conversations in this series are open to the EUI community, YALP alumni and the YALP network, either in-person or online. All participants have the opportunity to engage both with the high-level speakers as well as the cohort of Young African Leaders of the 2023-2024 cohort.

Professional development workshops build the fellows’ skills on topics such as: leadership and negotiation skills, policy development, report preparations, designing policy, policy brief writing, memo and op-ed writing, storytelling, fact-finding investigations, election observation.

During this part of the programme, YALP fellows will work on policy briefs or op-eds as well as on the design of a high-impact leadership project of their own choosing. This project, based on a concrete situation, will be assessed and approved by their peers.

The programme includes two study visits to different national authorities, EU Institutions and international organisations:

• The EU institutions in Brussels or in other cities like Strasbourg or Luxembourg
• The UN agencies in Rome or other EU capitals to meet with national institutions, think tanks and other relevant stakeholders

The study visits are an essential part of the programme as fellows will engage directly with policymakers and experts in reputed institutions. They will also be exposed to different working cultures in terms of policymaking and transnational governance. The study visit to Brussels will also include a networking event with actors working on Africa-related topics.

The programme fully covers the costs of the study visits.

Throughout the three-month programme, fellows participate in various individual and group exercises, including scenario building, case studies, op-ed writing, and skills development sessions. Fellows will also attend courses on negotiations, presentations, and policymaking. Towards the end of the programme, fellows will produce a final individual written assignment and a group policy brief with the supervision of a faculty member. Both assignments should reflect the different components of the programme, putting into practice the acquired competences and skills. Various formats are available for the individual assignment. Fellows can write a reflective essay, op-ed or policy brief, including policy recommendations. They might also choose to develop critical strategic foresight and analysis, or work with scenario building techniques (such as building imaginative alternative trajectories of what Africa will and should look like in 2030 SGD or Agenda 2063).

The written assignments are informed by discussions with trainers and scholars at the EUI/STG, with decision-makers and policy analysts met during the field visits, as well as with peers, researchers and students at the EUI/STG. Ultimately, the written assignments aim at giving emphasis to scientific research findings, individual reflection, group discussions, interactive learning, inspirational experiences, skill refinement, understanding of continental and global contexts and related policy areas, as well as cultural expression.

The assignments form the basis for the production and dissemination of policy-relevant knowledge under the umbrella of African Leadership Pathways.

Depending on the quality and relevance of the submission, selected fellows will receive additional support for text revision and proof reading of the individual assignments to prepare it for publication, either within the EUI/STG or externally.

The EUI/STG Wise Person Group advises on trends shaping the future of Africa in the next ten years, with a specific focus on challenges and opportunities for academia and policymaking.

The group is chaired by the EUI President and comprises eminent African and international figures, united by the knowledge, competences and vision to support young African leaders on critical and necessary actions to achieve transformative change in Africa by 2030. Members of the STG management and YALP team also participate in the Group. 

The current members are:

• Helen Clark (Chatham House, formerly UNDP and former PM of New Zealand)
• Emanuela Del Re (European External Action Service).
• Francis Deng (Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, formerly UN Undersecretary General)
• Monica Juma (National Security Advisor of Kenya, formerly Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Ministry of Defence, Ministry for Foreign Affairs)
• Stefano Manservisi (Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, formerly European Commission DG-INTPA) and
• Alexander Rondos (Former EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, European External Action Service)