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Obama renames Africa program for Nelson Mandela

President Barack Obama arrives at a town hall during the Summit of the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, Monday, July 28, 2014, in Washington. The President announced that the program will be renamed in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela. The summit is the lead-up event to next week’s inaugural U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the largest gathering any U.S. President has held with African heads of state. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Barack Obama arrives at a town hall during the Summit of the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, Monday, July 28, 2014, in Washington. The President announced that the program will be renamed in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela. The summit is the lead-up event to next week’s inaugural U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the largest gathering any U.S. President has held with African heads of state. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) President Barack Obama arrives at a town hall during the Summit of the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, Monday, July 28, 2014, in Washington. The President announced that the program will be renamed in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela. The summit is the lead-up event to next week’s inaugural U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the largest gathering any U.S. President has held with African heads of state. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

By Associated Press 2 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama welcomed the inaugural class of young African leaders to Washington Monday, drawing cheers as he announced their program is being expanded and renamed after former South African President Nelson Mandela.

The youngsters are participating in the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, part of the broader Young African Leaders Initiative that Obama launched in 2010 to support a new generation of leadership there.

“We have to make sure that we’re all seizing the extraordinary potential of today’s Africa – the youngest and fastest-growing continent,” Obama said. He said the world’s security and prosperity depends on “a strong, prosperous and self-reliant Africa.”

Obama announced the fellowship during a stop in South Africa last summer. It connects young African leaders to leadership training opportunities at top U.S. universities.

He said next year’s summit will be held in sub-Saharan Africa. He also said the program will include more online tools like mentoring and courses and more public-private partnerships to support young entrepreneurs that want to start businesses or nonprofits.