More than 60 ALA alumni and Mastercard Foundation scholars participated at this year’s first professional development Baraza hosted by Africa Careers Network (ACN) in New York in January. The two-day gathering is one of a series of activities designed and implemented through African Leadership Academy to prepare young leaders in our network for early career transitions.
Over the two-days, attendees participated in strategy sessions and the opportunity to undertake site visits to some of ACN’s top employer partners including Swiss Re, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), IBM, Carbon, The Coca-Cola Company, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc., Kupanda Capital, Acumen, Issroff Family Foundation, Prudential Financial, Sahara Reporters Media Group, and Bridgespan.
The site visits afforded attendees the opportunity to participate in mock interviews, while participating graduate schools such as Harvard Business School offered participants the option of exploring graduate study
“The massive support and participation by employers from numerous industries coupled with alumni engagement and curiosity confirmed to us that the job preparedness efforts and support we are undertaking are indeed the right interventions as we continue with the mission of developing Africa’s leaders of tomorrow,” says Ayado Ewinyu, Director of Africa Careers Network.
At the end of the two-day program, Daniel Deng Chol ’16 and Mary Maker, MCFSP ’19, both of South Sudan, were winners of the Resolution Project, a fellowship aimed at developing and empowering young leaders to pursue socially responsible solutions to issues affecting communities around the world.
Established in 2012 in partnership with The Mastercard Foundation, Africa Careers Network (ACN) connects outstanding young talent from African Leadership Academy (ALA) and The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program to career and internship opportunities across Africa. ACN seeks to facilitate Africa’s economic and social development through Africa’s youth, enabling our network of young leaders to give back to their communities through internships, and to engage with potential employers. ACN provides organisations with early access to a pipeline of entrepreneurial young leaders with a pan-African outlook.
To learn more about how Africa Careers Network enables early career transitions for young leaders in our network, visit the ACN website.
