YALI Act of 2021

II Calendar No. 161 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 965 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 22, 2021 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations OCTOBER 28, 2021 Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] AN ACT To establish a comprehensive United States Government ini- tiative to build the capacity of young leaders and entre- preneurs in Africa, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Young African Leaders 4 Initiative Act of 2021’’ or ‘‘YALI Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 6 It is the sense of Congress that— 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 965 RS (1) the Young African Leaders Initiative, 1 launched in 2010, is a signature effort to invest in 2 the next generation of African leaders; 3 (2) Africa is a continent of strategic importance 4 and it is vital for the United States to support 5 strong and enduring partnerships with the next gen- 6 eration of African leaders; and 7 (3) the United States Government should 8 prioritize investments to build the capacity of emerg- 9 ing young African leaders in sub-Saharan Africa, in- 10 cluding through efforts to enhance leadership skills, 11 encourage entrepreneurship, strengthen public ad- 12 ministration and the role of civil society, and connect 13 young African leaders continentally and globally 14 across the private, civic, and public sectors. 15 SEC. 3. YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE PROGRAM. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the De- 17 partment of State the Young African Leaders Initiative 18 (‘‘YALI’’) program. 19 (b) PURPOSE.—The YALI program shall seek to 20 build the capacity of young African leaders in sub-Saharan 21 Africa in the areas of business, civic engagement, or public 22 administration, including through efforts to— 23 (1) support young African leaders by offering 24 professional development, training, and networking 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 965 RS opportunities, particularly in the areas of leadership, 1 innovation, civic engagement, elections, human 2 rights, entrepreneurship, good governance, and pub- 3 lic administration; and 4 (2) provide increased economic and technical 5 assistance to young African leaders to promote eco- 6 nomic growth and strengthen ties between United 7 States and African businesses. 8 (c) FELLOWSHIPS.—The YALI program shall award 9 fellowships under the Mandela Washington Fellowship for 10 Young African Leaders program to young African leaders 11 ages 18 to 35 who have demonstrated strong capabilities 12 in entrepreneurship, innovation, public service, and leader- 13 ship, and who have had a positive impact in their commu- 14 nities, organizations, or institutions. 15 (d) REGIONAL LEADERSHIP CENTERS.—The YALI 16 program shall seek to establish regional leadership centers 17 in sub-Saharan Africa to offer training to young African 18 leaders ages 18 to 35 who have demonstrated strong capa- 19 bilities in entrepreneurship, innovation, public service and 20 leadership, and who have had a positive impact in their 21 communities, organizations, or institutions. 22 (e) ACTIVITIES.— 23 (1) UNITED STATES-BASED ACTIVITIES.—The 24 Secretary of State, in coordination with the Admin- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 965 RS istrator for the United States Agency for Inter- 1 national Development and the heads of other rel- 2 evant Federal departments and agencies, shall over- 3 see all United States-based activities carried out 4 under the YALI program, including the following: 5 (A) The participation of Mandela Wash- 6 ington fellows in a six-week Leadership Insti- 7 tute at a United States university or college in 8 business, civic engagement, or public manage- 9 ment, including academic sessions, site visits, 10 professional networking opportunities, leader- 11 ship training, community service, and organized 12 cultural activities. 13 (B) The participation by Mandela Wash- 14 ington fellows in an annual Mandela Wash- 15 ington Fellowship Summit, to provide such Fel- 16 lows the opportunity to meet with United States 17 leaders from the private, public, and non-profit 18 sectors. 19 (2) AFRICA-BASED ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary 20 of State, in coordination with the Administrator for 21 the United States Agency for International Develop- 22 ment and the heads of other relevant Federal de- 23 partments and agencies, should continue to support 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 965 RS YALI programs in sub-Saharan Africa, including the 1 following: 2 (A) Access to continued leadership training 3 and other professional development opportuni- 4 ties for Mandela Washington Fellowship for 5 Young African Leaders alumni upon their re- 6 turn to their home countries, including online 7 courses, technical assistance, and access to 8 funding. 9 (B) Training for young African leaders at 10 regional leadership centers established in ac- 11 cordance with subsection (d), and through on- 12 line and in-person courses offered by such cen- 13 ters. 14 (C) Opportunities for networking and en- 15 gagement with— 16 (i) other alumni of the Mandela 17 Washington Fellowship for Young African 18 Leaders; 19 (ii) alumni of programs at regional 20 leadership centers established in accord- 21 ance with subsection (d); and 22 (iii) United States and like-minded 23 diplomatic missions, business leaders, and 24 others as appropriate. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 965 RS (3) IMPLEMENTATION.—To carry out this sub- 1 section, the Secretary of State, in coordination with 2 the Administrator of the United States Agency for 3 International Development and the heads of other 4 relevant Federal departments and agencies shall 5 seek to partner with the private sector to pursue 6 public-private partnerships, leverage private sector 7 expertise, expand networking opportunities, and 8 identify funding opportunities as well as fellowship 9 and employment opportunities for participants in the 10 YALI program. 11 (f) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—Not later than 180 12 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec- 13 retary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of 14 the United States Agency for International Development 15 and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and 16 agencies, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 17 committees a plan for implementing the YALI program, 18 including the following: 19 (1) A description of clearly defined program 20 goals, targets, and planned outcomes for each year 21 and for the duration of implementation of the pro- 22 gram. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 965 RS (2) A strategy to monitor and evaluate the pro- 1 gram and progress made toward achieving such 2 goals, targets, and planned outcomes. 3 (3) A strategy to ensure the program is pro- 4 moting United States foreign policy goals in Africa, 5 including ensuring that the program is clearly 6 branded and paired with robust public diplomacy ef- 7 forts. 8 (g) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 9 of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 10 5 years, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the 11 Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter- 12 national Development, shall submit to the appropriate 13 congressional committees and publish in a publicly acces- 14 sible, internet–based form, a report on the following: 15 (1) The progress made toward achieving the 16 goals, targets, and planned outcomes described in 17 subsection (f)(1), including an overview of the pro- 18 gram implemented in the previous year and an esti- 19 mated number of beneficiaries. 20 (2) An assessment of how the YALI program is 21 contributing to and promoting United States-Africa 22 relations, particularly in areas of increased private 23 sector investment, trade promotion, support to civil 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 965 RS society, improved public administration, and fos- 1 tering entrepreneurship and youth empowerment. 2 (3) Recommendations for improvements or 3 changes to the program and implementation plan, if 4 any, that would improve their effectiveness during 5 subsequent years of implementation of the program. 6 (h) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES 7 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con- 8 gressional committees’’ means— 9 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 10 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep- 11 resentatives; and 12 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 13 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 14 (i) SUNSET.—The requirements of this section shall 15 terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of 16 the enactment of this Act. 17 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 18 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Young African Leaders 19 Initiative Act of 2021’’ or ‘‘YALI Act of 2021’’. 20 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 21 It is the sense of Congress that— 22 (1) the Young African Leaders Initiative, 23 launched in 2010, is a signature effort to invest in the 24 next generation of African leaders; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 965 RS (2) Africa is a continent of strategic importance 1 and it is vital for the United States to support strong 2 and enduring partnerships with the next generation 3 of African leaders; 4 (3) the United States Government should 5 prioritize investments to build the capacity of emerg- 6 ing young African leaders in sub-Saharan Africa, in- 7 cluding through efforts to— 8 (A) enhance leadership skills; 9 (B) encourage entrepreneurship; 10 (C) strengthen public administration and 11 the role of civil society; 12 (D) enhance peace and security in their re- 13 spective countries of origin and across Africa; 14 and 15 (E) connect young African leaders continen- 16 tally and globally across the private, civic, and 17 public sectors; 18 (4) youth in Africa have a positive impact on ef- 19 forts to foster economic growth, improve public sector 20 transparency and governance, and counter extremism, 21 and should be an area of focus for United States out- 22 reach on the African continent; and 23 (5) the Secretary of State should— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 965 RS (A) increase the number of fellows from Af- 1 rica participating in the Mandela Washington 2 Fellowship above the estimated 700 fellows who 3 participated during fiscal year 2021; and 4 (B) identify additional ways to connect 5 YALI alumni to United States public and pri- 6 vate resources and institutions. 7 SEC. 3. YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE PROGRAM. 8 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established the Young Afri- 9 can Leaders Initiative (‘‘YALI’’), which shall be carried out 10 by the Secretary of State. 11 (b) PURPOSE.—YALI shall seek to build the capacity 12 of young African leaders in sub-Saharan Africa in the areas 13 of business, civic engagement, or public administration, in- 14 cluding through efforts to— 15 (1) support young African leaders by offering 16 professional development, training, and networking 17 opportunities, particularly in the areas of leadership, 18 innovation, civic engagement, elections, human rights, 19 entrepreneurship, good governance, peace and secu- 20 rity, and public administration; and 21 (2) provide increased economic and technical as- 22 sistance to young African leaders to promote economic 23 growth, strengthen ties between United States and Af- 24 rican businesses, build resilience to predatory lending 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 965 RS practices, and improve capacity in key economic 1 areas such as tendering, bidding, and contract nego- 2 tiations, budget management and oversight, anti-cor- 3 ruption, and establishment of clear policy and regu- 4 latory practices. 5 (c) FELLOWSHIPS.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—YALI shall support the par- 7 ticipation in the United States in the Mandela Wash- 8 ington Fellowship for Young African Leaders of fel- 9 lows from Africa who— 10 (A) are between25 and 35 years of age; 11 (B) have demonstrated strong capabilities 12 in entrepreneurship, innovation, public service, 13 and leadership; and 14 (C) have had a positive impact in their 15 communities, organizations, or institutions. 16 (2) OVERSIGHT.—The fellowships described in 17 paragraph (1) shall be overseen by the Secretary of 18 State through the Bureau of Education and Cultural 19 Affairs. 20 (3) ELIGIBILITY.—The Secretary of State shall 21 establish and publish— 22 (A) eligibility criteria for participation as 23 a fellow under paragraph (1); and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:24 Oct 29, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H965.RS H965 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 965 RS (B) criteria for determining which eligible 1 applicants will be selected. 2 (d) RECIPROCAL EXCHANGES.—Subject to the ap- 3 proval of the Secretary of State, United States citizens 4 may— 5 (1) engage in reciprocal exchanges in connection 6 with alumni of the fellowship described in subsection 7 (c); and 8 (2) collaborate on projects with such fellowship 9 alumni. 10 (e) REGIONAL LEADERSHIP CENTERS AND NET- 11 WORKS.—The Administrator of the United States Agency 12 for International Development shall establish— 13 (1) not fewer than 4 regional leadership centers 14 in sub-Saharan Africa to offer in-person and online 15 training throughout the year on business and entre- 16 preneurship, civic leadership, and public management 17 to young African leaders between 1 [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]