Mo Ibrahim Foundation Announces the 2018 Ibrahim Leadership Fellows from Ghana, South Africa and Tunisia

London — The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is proud to announce the 2018 intake of selected Ibrahim Leadership Fellows, who will make up the programme’s sixth cohort. The incoming Fellows are Valeria Bempomaah Mensah (Ghana) who will join the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Zukiswa Mqolomba (South Africa) who will join the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Ines Ayari (Tunisia) who will join the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The Ibrahim Leadership Fellowships Programme is a selective programme designed to identify and prepare the next generation of outstanding African leaders by providing them mentoring opportunities in key multilateral institutions. The candidates, chosen from a pool of over 2000 applicants, will benefit from the direct mentorship of the current heads of the institutions.

Commenting on the new Ibrahim Leadership Fellows, Mo Ibrahim said:

“The next generation of African leaders are in the making. In the coming year, through learning and experiencing, while based in the executive offices of these multinational organisations, the Fellows will enhance their leadership capabilities. I would like to congratulate our three new Ibrahim Leadership Fellows. They join a cohort of visionary and strategic Fellows who share our commitment to strengthening governance and leadership in order to improve the lives of African citizens.”

The 2018 Ibrahim Fellows:

Valeria Bempomaah Mensah has joined UNECA. She is an international development professional with extensive experience in macroeconomic and policy analysis, capacity development and programme management. She has successfully managed the EU’s budget support programme to the Government of Ghana. Additionally, she has worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as an Economist in its Regional Technical Assistance Center, which provides macroeconomic capacity building to Anglophone West Africa and Cabo Verde.

Zukiswa Mqolomba will join AfDB. She is a senior researcher, senior policy analyst and scholar activist with extensive experience in research, policy development and policy analysis on economic growth, poverty alleviation and job creation. She has worked with the Department of Social Development in South Africa. Additionally, she has previously worked as an Extended Term Consultant (ETC) for the World Bank in Washington D.C.

Ines Ayari has joined ITC. She is a policy advisor with a focus on gender and development with extensive partnership development experience; she has established strong linkages with, and liaised between, governments, international organisations, research institutions, local businesses and civil society, by organising networks in the Middle East, Africa, South America, South Asia and Europe. She has worked with organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Economic Forum (WEF) and various NGOs.

The application process for the 2019 Ibrahim Fellowships Programme will open on 13 August 2018.

For more information on the Ibrahim Leadership Fellowships, or to learn more about what the previous Fellows have progressed to become, since their completion of the programme, visit our website: mo.ibrahim.foundation/fellowships/

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