Solicitation for Resident Hire U.S. Personal Services Contractor (USPSC) as Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Coordinator, USAID/West Africa

The Accra Regional Learning Center is part of the overall YALI program and is similar in objectives to the Washington Fellowship program except the training takes place through a combination of home-based on-line, and classroom components in Ghana. The Accra RLC provides innovative leadership training to young African leaders (aged 18-35) on three tracks: business and entrepreneurship, civic engagement, or public administration.

Candidates are selected from nine West African countries through a very competitive application process. To date, over 8,000 graduates have completed the program. Over the last four years, the Accra RLC has continued to offer training to additional cohorts of West African leaders, with an increased focus on building a strategy for a sustainable future. In this regard, strides have been made to develop YALI Africa to harmonize training and support across all four RLC’s.

This effort toward sustainability also includes engaging with various local and international partners, deepening alumni experiences and working closely with GIMPA to strengthen the institution’s capacity for leadership training. In support of the aims, USAID/ Washington granted a new award to Arizona State University titled The YALI Legacy Localization Activity.

This transition award will provide an effective and efficient way to develop YALI Africa and implement a Sustainability Model that will design, test, implement, evaluate, and adapt a mix of revenue generating activities, partnerships, sponsorships, and innovative training modules.

The Regional YALI coordinator will manage this transition between awards and ensure the implementing partners are collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) with each other and relevant stakeholders As a member of the USAID/West Africa (WA) Regional Program Office, the USAID/WA Regional YALI Coordinator serves as the primary YALI point of contact to coordinate with other USG agencies, USAID bilateral missions in the region, and the YALI Coordinator based in the Africa Bureau at USAID/Washington.

The Regional YALI Coordinator will build relationships with local and regional organizations to collaborate on YALI and specific Africa-based follow-on activities for Washington Fellow alumni. The Regional YALI Coordinator will work with USAID/WA counterparts on recruiting Fellows; linking Fellows to follow-on opportunities; collecting YALI data; and overseeing an implementing partner to execute Africa-based activities for the Washington Fellows.

The incumbent will leverage CLA to adapt programming from the RLC award to the Localization award and ensure a smooth transition for the awards. The incumbent will also work closely with GIMPA, to prepare and execute a revised sustainability plan that secures the program beyond USAID funding. This includes developing and managing partnerships, as well as building the capacity of GIMPA to develop and manage partnerships.

The USAID/WA Regional YALI Coordinator will serve as an expert resource and as such, will be expected to stay informed about youth-related programs, partnership opportunities, and initiatives in the region including those coordinated by USAID.