BY MUKELO MAGAGULA
MBABANE- The US Embassy in Eswatini has announced Leslee Way as one of their 2023 Mandela Washington Fellows.
Way, who hails from Eswatini, will be studying Leadership in Public Management at Wayne State University in the United States.
According to U.S embassy in Eswatini, Leslee has more than 11 years of experience as a political leader in local government. Currently, Leslee is a mayor of the Siteki Town Council and focuses on public infrastructure, public health, social and economic development, and environmental issues. She has served as the chair of the Finance Committee and Works Committee and successfully lobbied and won the seats as the presidential member of the Eswatini Local Government Association.
It is also said that she has been the deputy chair of the Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders on HIV/AIDS. Way holds a diploma in Human Resource Management, a certificate in Leadership, and a certificate in Corporate Governance. She is passionate about discovering new ways of assisting her community in alleviating poverty and improving service delivery to empower the members with the necessary skills and tools to contribute to local economic development.
Way, who is a gender and development specialist, is currently the Country Program Manager for the United Nations Development Program in Eswatini. She has worked tirelessly to promote gender equality and empower women and girls in Eswatini.
The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). It is a program for young African leaders who are making a difference in their communities and are committed to furthering their education and professional development.
Throughout the program, Way and her cohort of Fellows will take courses at Wayne State University and participate in leadership training, networking, and mentorship opportunities. They will also have the chance to meet with US government officials and leaders in the private sector.
After completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, Leslee plans to promote entrepreneurship opportunities for all and to endorse programs that will introduce leadership, information and communications technology, mentorship, financial literacy, business, and mental health issues to youth. She wants to enhance the quality of human resource contributions to communities at later stages of development.
Way is one of 700 Mandela Washington Fellows selected from over 47,000 applicants across Africa. The Fellows come from a variety of fields, including business and entrepreneurship, civic leadership, and public management. They will spend six weeks in the United States, beginning in June 2023.
