The March 25 Leadership Fellowship

The March 25 Leadership Fellowship
Call for Applications

Applications are now open for the inaugural cohort of the March 25 Leadership Fellowship.

The March 25 Leadership Fellowship is an Africa-focused, values-based leadership initiative designed to nurture emerging leaders committed to ethical leadership, responsibility, integrity, and service in everyday life.

The fellowship is built on a simple but powerful belief:

Leadership is not defined by recognition, but by the responsibilities we choose to carry in service of others.

While many leadership conversations focus narrowly on public office, the March 25 Leadership Fellowship challenges participants to think more broadly about leadership as something practiced daily—in our families, workplaces, institutions, communities, and professions.

Following the selection of five Founding Fellows through a leadership essay challenge, applications are now open to recruit 20 additional fellows to complete the inaugural cohort of 25 fellows.

Inaugural Cohort Recruitment – 20 Fellows

If you are committed to leading with integrity, responsibility, and service, we invite you to apply.

Apply Now

Application Timeline

Applications Open: May 08, 2026
Application Deadline: May 31, 2026
Shortlisted Candidates Notification: June 2026
Fellowship Launch: Late June / Early July 2026.

About the Fellowship

The fellowship is a 12-month mentor-driven leadership journey built around:

Reflective dialogue on values-based leadership
Intergenerational conversations with experienced leaders
Mentorship engagements
Peer learning and structured reflection
Practical leadership development grounded in responsibility

Fellows will engage with experienced global leaders and mentors, including Senior Fellows from Aspen and other international leadership fellowships, who have demonstrated meaningful leadership impact in their communities, institutions, and organizations.

These mentors will facilitate reflective leadership dialogues, share lessons from their leadership journeys, and support fellows in examining the responsibilities and ethical challenges of leadership.

Who Should Apply?

We welcome applications from emerging leaders across Africa who:

Demonstrate integrity, responsibility, and leadership potential
Are committed to ethical leadership and service
Show evidence of leadership in their communities, professions, institutions, or civic spaces
Are open to reflection, dialogue, and mentorship
Are committed to amplifying voices often left unheard in leadership conversations

Applicants may come from diverse sectors including:

Civil society
Public service
Health and development
Business and entrepreneurship
Academia
Community leadership
Social impact initiatives

Eligibility

Applicants should generally:

Be between 25–40 years of age
(Exceptional candidates outside this range may be considered)
Be based in Africa
Demonstrate commitment to participating fully in the fellowship over 12 months
Have reliable access to participate in virtual/hybrid fellowship engagements

Facilitators And Mentors

Lolo Cynthia is an award-winning communication strategist, social entrepreneur, and multimedia producer with over a decade of experience driving social impact through storytelling and advocacy.

Her work spans public health, gender equality, youth empowerment, and social justice, leading campaigns that inspire behavioral change and amplify underrepresented voices.

As founder of LSIV, she works at the intersection of strategy, communication, and community-centered development to advance sustainable change.

Lolo Cynthia

International Development Consultant

Abdul-Rahman Edward Koroma is a Sierra Leonean development leader and disability inclusion advocate dedicated to building resilient and empowered communities. Through his leadership at C-SEED/SL, he champions social justice, economic empowerment, public health, and inclusive development initiatives that uplift vulnerable populations. His contributions to regional and global policy spaces, including the WHO Civil Society Steering Committee and AU-ECOSOCC, reflect his commitment to advancing equitable and people-centered change across Africa.

Abdul-Rahman Edward Koroma

President & Country Director- C-SEED/SL

Kaata Komeh Minah is a Sierra Leonean feminist organiser and gender justice specialist whose work is rooted in community, in the belief that the women and girls closest to injustice are its most powerful disruptors. As co-founder of Elevate Sisters, she builds peer-led spaces in rural Sierra Leone, where adolescent girls develop feminist consciousness, claim their rights, and organise for change in their own communities. Through SisiAfrik Consulting, she leads advocacy, research, and capacity-strengthening work across the continent, coordinating research, facilitating feminist leadership training in West Africa, and building knowledge systems that shift power in philanthropy. Her consulting is rooted in her experience of frontline work supporting women and girl-led organisations in ending violence against women and girls, and in facilitating cross-community learning within the feminist movement. Kaata believes in community power, collective action, and the dignity and freedom of every woman and girl.

The March 25 Leadership Fellowship

The March 25 Leadership Fellowship
Call for Applications