Lead. Serve. Tell Africa's Story.

Application deadline: 30th April 2026

Every cohort of fellows begins the same way: as a group of strangers with shared convictions. They end as something else entirely: a community, a network, a second family committed to one another and to Africa.

In 2026, three doors are open. The Huduma Fellowship calls those who serve in Uganda's public and civic sectors. The Young and Emerging Leaders Project (YELP) seeks the next generation of thought leaders across East Africa. The Griots Fellowship invites creatives, artists, writers, and cultural practitioners who believe in the power of authentic African narrative.

" The Huduma Fellowship has shaped my thinking as a leader and given me skills to make reforms in my country and community. When I return to Arua, I am going to hold training sessions and mentorship for young leaders at the university, secondary school, and primary school levels. — - Alesi Majorine — Huduma Fellow, Class of 2024

Each fellowship is different in focus, format, and community. All three share something deeper: a conviction that leadership grounded in ethics, values, reflection, and honest dialogue can change the continent. These are not short courses or certificate programs. They are transformative experiences with alumni across eight African countries who will tell you, years later, that the fellowship was a turning point.

Huduma Fellowship - For public and civic sector leaders in Uganda, aged 22–35

Huduma — the Swahili word for service names both the fellowship and its purpose. This program is designed for early-career professionals working in Uganda's government, civil service, non-profit organisations, and civic institutions who are committed to leading with integrity and building a culture of principled public service.

Fellows spend a year inside a structured learning journey that combines intensive residential seminars, mentorship, peer dialogue, and real workplace application. The three seminar themes move from foundational leadership and personal values, through public service ethics and governance, to policy and implementation, culminating in a graduation seminar where fellows present capstone projects rooted in their own sectors and communities.

Who should apply: Ugandan nationals or residents aged 22 to 35, working in government, civil service, non-profit or civil society, or civic institutions, with a genuine commitment to public service and ethical leadership. You can apply for the Huduma Fellowship here  https://bit.ly/47MBaMO

" I now know what I want. I know how to impact the places I'm in. I know the people I need to talk to. I basically know how to handle the spaces I've been put in. — - Patricia Keitesi — Huduma Fellow, Class of 2024

YELP · 2026 Class

Young and Emerging Leaders Project

For thought leaders across East Africa, aged 21–35

Now in its seventh year with alumni across eight African countries, the Young and Emerging Leaders Project (YELP) is one of the LéO Africa Institute's most enduring and beloved communities. It brings together emerging leaders from diverse backgrounds — entrepreneurs, media practitioners, social innovators, artists, activists, and more — and equips them with the intellectual foundation, personal clarity, and peer network to lead lives of significance and impact.

" Previously, I looked at work as an 8-to-5 thing. But now I look at work from a personal initiative perspective — where you go and put in more effort than is ordinarily required of you. - Emmanuel Acidri — Huduma Fellow, Class of 2024 — - Emmanuel Acidri — Huduma Fellow, Class of 2024

The program unfolds across three multi-day residential seminars: Values, Ethics and the Philosophy of Leadership; Political Economy and Development; and Media, Art and Technology. Together, they form a values-based curriculum grounded in the conviction that lasting leadership begins from within — from a clear sense of identity, purpose, and responsibility to others.

 

Who should apply: Young people aged 18 to 35, based in East Africa, from any professional or creative background, who are committed to personal growth, values-driven leadership, and making a meaningful contribution to their communities and the continent. You can apply for YELP here https://bit.ly/48oa7aT

" Huduma builds transformation within leaders and within the cohort. We must build community, build institutional leadership beyond our existence — so that we propel the organisation to outlast us and produce even better leaders after us. - Luke Ofungi — Huduma Fellow, Inaugural Class of 2021 — - Luke Ofungi — Huduma Fellow, Inaugural Class of 2021

Griots Fellowship · 2nd Cohort

Griots Fellowship For storytellers, artists, and emerging leaders, aged 25–45

In West African tradition, the Griot is the keeper of memory, the voice of community, and the shaper of collective identity.

Inspired by this tradition and by the global power of platforms like TED Talks, the Griots Fellowship is designed for practitioners who believe that story is not decoration, it is strategy, it is resistance, it is how Africa reclaims its own narrative in the world.

Now entering its second cohort, the fellowship is open to emerging leaders in general, but in particular, writers, filmmakers, podcasters, visual artists, musicians, oral historians, and cultural practitioners who have a story to tell, a project to develop, and a voice ready to be heard.

" I come back to renew, to rejuvenate my commitment to making the world a better place. You're able to speak with other like-minded young people — and just realise that you're not alone. The learnings continue to shape my professional decisions and help me remember my "why" during challenging times. - Joanita Nvannungi — YELP Fellow, Class of 2017 — - Joanita Nvannungi — YELP Fellow, Class of 2017

During this program, Fellows are guided through narrative strategy and craft, media production ethics, and platform building. The program culminates in a stage experience: each fellow delivers a LéO Africa Talk — a carefully crafted, TED-style talk before a live audience.

The 2026 cohort theme is "Stories that will Define our Future." If you have a story that needs to be told — one rooted in your life, your community, your corner of this continent — the Griots Fellowship wants to hear it.

Who should apply: Young & Emerging Leaders aged 25 to 35, with a keen interest in leadership, and a story they wish to bring to life during this program. Apply for Griots here http://bit.ly/4slGFtk

More than a program. A lifelong community.

Across all three fellowships, alumni return to the same words: belonging, renewal, clarity, and accountability. They describe spaces where they felt genuinely heard. They speak of networks that have sustained them through career transitions, difficult seasons, and moments of doubt. They describe the fellowship less as something they attended and more as something they still belong to.

" YELP has helped me redefine and refocus my bigger purpose. It has allowed me to create a network of people you can always count on. — - Canary Mugume YELP Fellow, Class of 2018

This is what makes the LéO Africa Institute's fellowship ecosystem unusual. The programs are carefully designed — but the community they build outlasts every seminar, every capstone, every graduation. Fellows become part of a growing network of leaders and storytellers who hold each other to account and lift each other forward

Every fellowship is built on the conviction that leadership begins from within, from a clear, honest relationship with your own values.

 

Fellows are selected not just for individual potential, but for what they bring to the cohort. The collective is the curriculum. Programs combine dialogue and reflection with practical project work grounded in each fellow's real professional context.

" Our collective strength is our cathedral. We must ask the tough question: What good is reflection without action? Let us recommit to turning this fellowship from an experience into an ongoing practice of leadership. — Dr. Martin Balaba — YELP Fellow, Class of 2017, speaking at the 2025 Reunion-

 

The curriculum affirms the critical role identity plays in leadership development, the important role of ideas, and ethical leadership as the foundation, not the afterthought.

Your invitation to shape Africa's future.

Whether your path is public service, thought leadership, or the power of story, there is a place for you in this community. Applications for all three 2026 fellowships are open now.

All applications close on 30th April 2026