Entries open for Obama Foundation Leaders Africa Program 2025-26

The Obama Foundation Leaders program is a six-month virtual leadership development journey.

Benefits

• Participants (known as “Obama Leaders” or “Leaders”) will take part in weekly sessions that include:
  • Practical tools and training for deepening values-based leadership
  • Leadership coaching
  • Community groups
  • Conversations with thought leaders
  • Cultural programming that showcases the richness of diversity in the region
  • Curated spaces for deep personal reflection and interpersonal learning with peers

Geographic Focus

• Your work is geographically focused on creating positive change for local communities, an African nation or territory, and/or the broader Africa region. You demonstrate a strong commitment to continue to focus your work in the Africa region.

Eligibility Criteria

• You must meet one of the following criteria:
  • Citizen of an African country or territory OR
  • Permanent resident of an African country or territory OR
  • Have lived in an African country or territory for at least the last 5 years, regardless of citizenship or permanent residence status
• Language Proficiency & Age:
  • You are professionally proficient in English and you will be between 24 and 45 years of age on September 1, 2025.
• Leadership Experience:
  • You can demonstrate at least 3 years of relevant experience in your issue area.
• They seek to assemble cohorts of individuals who can learn from each other based on a range of experiences, approaches, and backgrounds. They work to recruit values-driven changemakers who hold a variety of views and perspectives so that they can create a learning environment that is both supportive and intellectually challenging for Leaders who will need to apply their skills in a diverse set of contexts and with many stakeholders.
• They welcome Leaders from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, spiritual beliefs, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and ability. They are committed to building inclusive and diverse cohorts with Leaders from different nationalities, issues of focus, sectors of work, personal backgrounds, leadership ranks and titles, and life experiences. They are also committed to making this program accessible to Leaders with disabilities, from the application process through the entire program experience.
• Across the spectrum of diversity, they endeavor to identify applicants and invite Leaders to the program who:
  • Possess a clear issue of focus and can describe or measure their impacts.
  • Hold a leadership position in their change making work, whether full-time or volunteer (there are no leadership rank or title requirements).
  • Demonstrate a deeply ethical, values-based, equitable, and collaborative approach to leadership.
  • Demonstrate a willingness to learn from and share with other Leaders in a group setting.

For more information, visit Barack Obama Foundation.