More than 80 Emerging Public Leaders from across Africa gathered in Margibi County, Liberia for the Alumni Network Gathering. Over two days, participants, united by a shared commitment to ethical leadership, public service excellence, and inclusive growth, reflected on how a growing network of young public servants can shape the future of governance and improve public policy and community initiatives. 

We're gaining momentum! We're welcoming new leaders, sharing 2026-2027 cohorts recruitment updates, and celebrating the launch of our 2025 Annual Report.

Emerging Public Leaders Announces Leadership Transition

The Future of Development Cooperation Coalition announces its full set of commissioners

Announcing 2026 recruitment and celebrating the young public servants driving positive change in their communities across Africa.

Emerging Public Leaders joined our partners at the Public Service Commission - Kenya and Emerging Leaders Foundation - Africa for the official Launch of the Public Service Emerging Leaders Fellowship (PSELF) Impact Assessment Report at the Radisson Blu Hotel, on 19 February 2026.

Accra, Ghana - Emerging Public Leaders of Ghana (EPL Ghana) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, officially opened applications to the 2026 Public Service Fellowship on February 11, 2026, for young university graduates with an interest in joining the public sector. All applications should be submitted online by Sunday, March 22, 2026.

Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) today announced the unanimous election of Emmanuel Lubembe as the next Chair of the EPL Global Board, effective January 15, 2026. He will succeed EPL Co-Founder Betsy Williams, who will continue to serve on the Global Board and, together with H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, assume the role of Chair Emeritus, providing ongoing strategic guidance and mentorship to the organization.

Independent evaluations in 2025 show that EPL is delivering on its mission: recruit young Africans into dignified, paid public service roles and expand youth inclusion in government

Lilongwe, Malawi – Emerging Public Leaders of Malawi (EPL Malawi) marked a historic milestone on 5 December 2025 as the organization celebrated the graduation of its inaugural cohort of 33 Public Service Fellows alongside senior government officials, development partners, diplomatic representatives, mentors, and institutional leaders.

Johannesburg, South Africa - Emerging Public Leaders Executive Director, Abigail Kajumba, and Alumni Violet Pondakwao, shared vital messages at the Governance Consortium G20 side event held at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Office in November.

Nairobi, Kenya - Mira German shares her takeaways from the 2025 Baobab Summit, attended with her fellow Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) Alumni, Lawrence Nii Kotey Neequaye, from Ghana, and Izeecta Martha Gbollie from Liberia. The three-day summit, organized by the Mastercard Foundation under the theme “Nurturing the Future Through African Youth”, harnessed the resilience and purpose of African youth to drive progress.

In partnership with Emerging Public Leaders, the Public Service Commission, and Mastercard Foundation, EPL Sierra Leone marked the launch of our first cohort of the Public Service Fellowship Program, welcoming 75 promising young Sierra Leonean leaders at a ceremony held on October 13, 2025, in Freetown.

A new chapter began for 46 young Malawian leaders, 70 percent of whom were women, at the Malawi School of Government on Monday, October 6, at the orientation ceremony for Emerging Public Leaders of Malawi’s (EPL Malawi) one-year Public Service Fellowship Program.

As world leaders prepare to convene at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this September, a vibrant coalition of young public sector professionals from Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, and Malawi has a clear message: the real momentum for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) begins at the grassroots, in communities transformed by youth leadership.

On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the President’s Young Professionals Program (PYPP) in collaboration with the Civil Service Agency (CSA) celebrated the completion of 24 young professionals from their two-year public service fellowship program at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex Theatre in Congo Town.

H.E. former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf met with Rose Wachuka Macharia, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya, and Robert Fefegula, the new country director for Emerging Public Leaders of Sierra Leone, on the sidelines of the 4th Nalafem Summit in July.

Lilongwe, Malawi - Top government officials, private sector and civil society leaders, embassies, media, and Cohort I Public Service Fellows gathered at the Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) on the morning of Friday, May 9, 2025, for the official launch of the Public Service Fellowship Program.

Accra, Ghana - One hundred dynamic, young public leaders from across Africa gathered for the 2025 Emerging Public Leaders’ Alumni Network Gathering.

We are excited to announce the launch of our newest program in Sierra Leone and many more program updates.