Accra, Ghana - Today, May 20, 2016, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) inaugurated the new building of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Regional Leadership Center West Africa - Accra, on the GIMPA campus.

The inauguration was graced by the presence of His Excellency, Vice President Amissah-Arthur; Ms. Linda Etim, USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa; U.S. Ambassador Robert P. Jackson; Professor Franklyn Achampong Manu, Rector of GIMPA; and other dignitaries.

Regional Leadership Centers are an extension of YALI, U.S. President Barack Obama’s signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. The Accra Center seeks to empower young men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo, who are ready to build leadership skills and work hard to transform their countries. Since opening on the GIMPA campus in August 2015, the Accra Center has trained more than 300 young West African leaders in the areas of public management, business & entrepreneurship, and civic leadership. The Center offers short-term residential training programs for young leaders, as well as an online training platform.

The building is the first phase of a planned multi-story training center funded by USAID and private sector partners. It is equipped with modern state-of-the-art video conferencing facilities and an IT resource center for an enriched digital training experience for Regional Leadership Center participants. Phase II will include expanded training rooms and office space.

Through public-private partnerships, including significant support from the MasterCard Foundation, the Accra Center provides leadership training and professional development opportunities with practical and applied learning.

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