Drake University hosted 25 young African business and government standouts for six weeks in June and July as part of the U.S. State Department’s Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, the flagship program of President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative. 

The fellows are between the ages of 25 and 35. The University of Iowa also hosted 25 Africans, and they visited Des Moines as part of their activities.

The Drake visitors have been involved in everything from water treatment to health care in various countries in Africa. We interviewed several and discovered they were wowed by the philanthropy that goes on in Des Moines — as evidenced by what they called the “walls of fame” listing donors — and the accessibility of corporate leaders from the likes of the Greater Des Moines Partnership to Kemin Industries.

“These are truly exceptional individuals — future African heads of state,” said Annique Kiel, interim executive director of global engagement and international programs at Drake. The fellows are leaving town at the end of week.