Sem Mandela Uutoni, 24, African Union (AU) – University of Minnesota, Public Management

Sem Mandela Uutoni currently works on Regional Integration in the Office of the Chairperson at the African Union Commission in Addis Abba, Ethiopia.  Sem Mandela holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Regional and Rural Development and a Master’s Degree in Regional Development and Environmental Economics (Summa Cum Laude).  In November 2016, he was awarded an Excellence Award by the Central Bank of Hungary in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements (4.0/4.0 GPA).  Sem Mandela is a National Bestselling Author of The Extraordinary Aftermath (2017).

Sem Mandela was part of the Third Session of the Namibian Youth Parliament in 2011 and he founded the Oshakati Junior Town Council the same year.  Sem Mandela is an Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader (2017); UNESCO-APCEIU GCED Leader (2016); Fellow with Aspire Academy (2016) and a Fellow with the Preparing Global Leaders Institute (2016).  He is a Founding Member and Head of Legal and Business Development at Truth Tone Publishing and Review, a Namibian Publishing Company.

After the fellowship, Sem Mandela will establish a Leadership Institution which will provide a platform for young people to develop and hone their potential, empowering young Namibians to be active contributors to socio-economic progression in their communities.