… Deepens Commitment to Workforce Development

Segun Ogunwale, an emerging leader in career readiness and workforce development solutions, has successfully completed the 2025 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders in the Leadership in Business track at Drake University, USA.

Selected as one of approximately 620 Fellows from a highly competitive pool of over 58,000 applicants across Sub-Saharan Africa, Ogunwale represents some of the continent’s best and brightest young leaders in fields such as agriculture, business, civil society, education, energy, healthcare, technology, trade, and security.

The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship programme of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers outstanding young professionals with academic and leadership training at top American institutions. As a Fellow at Drake University, Ogunwale deepened his expertise in business leadership while gaining an international perspective on innovative solutions for Africa’s workforce development challenges. This extends from developing and rolling out career resources to strengthening support systems for students in higher education and the workforce of organisations.

Building on this experience, he reaffirms his commitment to accelerating workforce development on the continent by leveraging lessons learned from U.S. institutions and integrating emerging technologies like AI to support Africa’s youth as they transition through higher education into the workforce.

Through his company, Bridgia, Ogunwale is already making significant strides across Nigeria, Ghana, and Botswana, collaborating with higher education institutions and organisations to support the career development of students and recent graduates. Bridgia bridges the gap between education and employment by providing access to guides, assessments, and career programmes, while building partnerships with schools and employers.

“Completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship has expanded my global network and sharpened my vision to help more young Africans navigate their educational journeys, enter the world of work, and thrive in the workplace,” Ogunwale said. “By leveraging opportunities provided by AI solutions and best practices from the U.S. — adapted to our local realities — we can transform how we prepare and connect youth with the opportunities they need.”

Now an official alumnus of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Ogunwale joins a growing community of leaders who continue to strengthen their skills and partnerships through ongoing professional development, networking, and collaboration opportunities. According to the U.S. Department of State, Mandela Washington Fellows benefit from continuous support to scale their impact. American professionals may also travel to Africa through the Reciprocal Exchange component to implement project-based collaborations with Fellowship alumni like Ogunwale, further deepening ties between Africa and the United States.

With this renewed momentum, Ogunwale aims to position Bridgia at the forefront of bridging Africa’s education-to-employment divide, helping millions of young people succeed in an increasingly connected and competitive global economy.