BY BANELE MAGONGO
MBABANE – The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), in collaboration with the Regional Leadership Center South Africa (RLC-SA), is now accepting applications for its highly anticipated Innovation Challenge.
This exciting opportunity invites talented African youth to harness their creativity and problem-solving skills to address real-world challenges by employing human–centered design and design thinking methodologies.
Sandile Nxumalo, YALI graduate said individuals who have completed the YALI RLC-SA online program and are currently managing an initiative, yet they feel that they have not achieved the desired level of progress, should consider applying.
He said those seeking inspiration to elevate their initiatives to new heights are strongly encouraged to participate, as this opportunity aims to support and empower them in achieving their goals.
Nxumalo elaborated on the program’s format, explaining that it would be delivered through a combination of four days of online training and three days of in-person sessions. He further highlighted that participants are expected to engage in online tasks specifically designed to validate both the identified problem and its corresponding solution.
He emphasized that many initiatives often falter due to insufficient problem investigation or poorly designed solutions.
“The primary objective of this program is to address these issues by guiding participants through the process of understanding their target audience’s needs and experiences, as well as creating and prototyping innovative solutions. Upon completion of the program, alumni will have established a robust basis for their initiatives, setting them on the path to success,” he said.
He provided crucial information on application details, stating that interested candidates should submit their applications before May 26, 2024. Eligible countries for participation include Angola (English), Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa.
The online training portion of the program is scheduled to take place from June 3 to 14, 2024, while the in-person training component will be held in Namibia from July 9 to 12, 2024.
He encouraged applicants to apply for the Innovation Challenge by following the provided link: https://tinyurl.com/InnovationChallenge3Namibia.
