Emerging Public Leaders

What Emerging Public Leaders does

Emerging Public Leaders (EPL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. that recruits, trains, and places young African professionals into government civil service positions across five African countries (Liberia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Sierra Leone). Founded in 2016 by H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Betsy Williams, EPL evolved from the President's Young Professionals Program (PYPP) launched in Liberia in 2009. The organization's core offering is the Public Service Fellowship — a merit-based 12- or 24-month program that places fellows into paid government roles at ministries, agencies, and departments, where they receive contextualized training, mentorship, and supervision in partnership with national Civil Service Commissions and Schools of Government. EPL also runs the Alumni Network (721+ members across five countries), the PSELF program in Kenya (targeting existing civil servants), and thematic initiatives including Women's on the Rise (Ghana, with Co-Impact) and the PEACE Fellowship (Ghana, with the U.S. Embassy).

EPL operates a fellowship-as-a-service model with no participant fees; fellows receive paid employment, training, and mentorship at no cost. The revenue model is grant-funded philanthropy: the Mastercard Foundation is the primary funder across Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, and Sierra Leone, supplemented by the Skoll Foundation, Co-Impact, Hewlett Foundation, USAID, and anonymous donors. Government partners contribute in-kind support including office space, civil service agency coordination, and placement supervision. EPL's go-to-market combines event-driven cohort recruitment (annual merit-based selection with panel interviews by government and civil society partners) with a community-led alumni engagement strategy that produces referral pipelines and cross-border peer support. The underlying "technology" is a responsive Public Service Fellowship curriculum developed collaboratively with government partners and delivered through a mentorship/supervision framework involving 476 mentors and supervisors. Reported impact metrics include 90% alumni employment, 78% transition into full-time public service, 100% employer satisfaction with training quality, and partnerships with governments collectively serving 120 million people.

EPL is governed by a Global Board of Directors chaired by Emmanuel Lubembe, with notable members including H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Chair Emeritus), Betsy Williams (Co-founder and Board Member), and recent additions Ambassador Jessye Lapenn and Dr. Hervé Lado. The 9-person global executive team, led by Interim Executive Director Emily Stanger Sfeile (from June 2026), is supported by country directors in Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The organization's stated strategic target is to recruit, place, and train 1,000 fellows — at least 50% women — into civil service across 6 African countries by 2027.

Name

Emerging Public Leaders

Legal name

Emerging Public Leaders

Website

https://emergingpublicleaders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Emerging Public Leaders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that recruits, trains, and places young African professionals into paid civil service positions across five African countries through merit-based fellowships, serving African governments and young university graduates with philanthropic funding primarily from the Mastercard Foundation and the Skoll Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Service Leadership Development

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE)

Keywords

• Public service fellowship
• Leadership development
• Civil service training
• Youth public service
• Government talent pipeline

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Philanthropic Funding: EPL operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (US Tax ID: 81-5294637) established in 2016. Primary funding comes from institutional philanthropy including the Mastercard Foundation, Skoll Foundation, and other anonymous donors. Funds support fellowship recruitment, training, placement, and alumni network operations.
2. Government Partnerships: EPL partners with African governments who contribute to fellowship implementation through in-kind support including office space, civil service agency coordination, and placement supervision. Government ministries and agencies host fellows and provide employment pathways.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Emerging Public Leaders recruits, places, and trains young African professionals (aged 18-35) into paid civil service positions across five African countries through fellowship programs. Fellows receive 12-24 months of paid government employment, rigorous responsive training, mentorship, and professional development before joining a pan-African Alumni Network that supports ongoing career progression in public service leadership.

Product overview

Emerging Public Leaders is a public service leadership organization, not a technology company. Its primary offerings are fellowship programs that create pathways for young African professionals into public service careers. The core products include the Public Service Fellowship (operating in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Sierra Leone) and the President's Young Professionals Program (Liberia), which provide recruitment, training, mentorship, and placement into government roles. Supporting initiatives include gender programs like Women's on the Rise, the PEACE Fellowship for security professionals, and an Alumni Network for ongoing career development. These are programmatic offerings focused on leadership development, not software products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Service Fellowship
• President's Young Professionals Program (PYPP)
• Public Service Emerging Leaders Fellowship (PSELF)
• Alumni Network
• Women's on the Rise Initiative
• PEACE Fellowship (Professionals Engaged Against Conflict and Endangerment)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of alumni employed (78% in public sector), 86% of employed alumni serve in government, 72% report career progression
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Public Service Commission of Sierra LeonecoreOthers · 1 January 2025Signed MoU with EPL in February 2025 to implement the Public Service Fellowship Program in Sierra Leone. Supports meritocratic selection process and fellowship supervision.
• U.S. Embassy in Ghana / Foundation for Security and Development in AfricaflagshipOthers · 1 January 2024U.S. Embassy Ghana partnered with EPL Ghana on PEACE Fellowship (Professionals Engaged Against Conflict & Endangerment), upskilling public sector security professionals in Northern Ghana regions ahead of national elections.
• Office of the President and Cabinet (Malawi)coreOthers · 1 January 2023Government body that partnered with EPL to establish and deliver the Public Service Fellowship Program in Malawi, signed MoU in 2023.
• Chandler Institute of Governance (CIG)coreTechnology or IntegrationSingapore-based international nonprofit supporting EPL's training and mentorship curriculum development, particularly for the Kenya Public Service Emerging Leaders Fellowship (PSELF) program.
• Emerging Leaders Foundation Africa (ELF-Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenyan nonprofit that co-implements the Public Service Emerging Leaders Fellowship (PSELF) with EPL and Public Service Commission of Kenya. Identifies and trains emerging public service professionals committed to good governance.
• Public Service Commission of KenyacoreOthersConstitutional body responsible for reforming and transforming Kenya's public service. Partners with EPL on merit-based selection and placement of emerging leaders into government roles.
• Civil Service Agency of LiberiacoreOthersGovernment body overseeing PYPP fellowship program implementation in Liberia. Collaborates on recruitment, training, supervision, and placement of fellows into civil service positions.
• Government of Ghana / Office of the Head of the Civil ServicecoreOthersGhana government partners including Office of Head of Civil Service and Civil Service Training Centre collaborate on fellowship program design, fellow placement, and institutional capacity building.
• UN Women (Liberia)flagshipOthersUN Women Liberia representative attended PYPP Cohort 11 graduation, spoke on transformative power of women in leadership and commended cohort's dedication to increasing opportunities for young women.
• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Center for Women and DevelopmentflagshipOthersFormer Liberian President's center focuses on women's advancement. Ambassador spoke at PYPP graduation, highlighting young leaders' dedication to ethical and innovative leadership.
• The Bureau of Integrated Rural Development (BIRD), KNUSTflagshipOthersKwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology research institute commissioned by EPL to conduct independent impact evaluation and mid-term evaluation of fellowship programs in Liberia, Ghana, and Malawi.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Global Health Corps: Fellowship organization placing young professionals into health-sector organizations across Africa and the US, mirroring EPL's model of recruiting recent graduates, providing training/mentorship, and placing them in mission-driven institutions for a defined term.
• African Leadership Institute: Africa-focused organization identifying, developing, and connecting the continent's next-generation public leaders — overlapping with EPL's mission of placing young leaders into African government decision-making roles.
• Atlas Corps: International fellowship placing skilled professionals into host organizations across the US and abroad with structured training and a global alumni network — analogous to EPL in the fellowship-to-leadership pipeline model.
• Mandela Washington Fellowship (Institute of International Education): US-government flagship fellowship for young African leaders that combines leadership training, mentorship, and placement/networking — directly comparable to EPL in target audience (young African professionals), training intensity, and leadership-development framing.
• Teach For All (incl. Teach For Ghana, Teach For Kenya, Teach For Malawi): Global network of country-level fellowships placing top graduates into under-resourced public institutions (schools) with intensive training and leadership development — structurally analogous to EPL's civil-service fellowship model in multiple EPL partner countries.

Broad incumbents

• Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI): US-government initiative with multiple leadership tracks serving young Africans across the continent; broader in scope than EPL but directly comparable on target demographic and public-leadership development mission.
• Mo Ibrahim Foundation: Foundation focused on African governance, leadership, and public-service excellence via the Ibrahim Prize and governance indices — overlapping with EPL's mission of strengthening African government capacity and leadership pipelines.

Emerging players

• African Leadership University: Pan-African higher-education institution developing ethical African leaders through undergraduate and graduate programs — comparable to EPL in mission (developing African leadership for public/private impact) and pan-African footprint, though delivered via traditional degree pathways rather than government placement.
• Tony Elumelu Foundation: Large African philanthropic platform providing training, mentorship, and seed funding to young African entrepreneurs — comparable to EPL in pan-African youth development, training cohorts, and foundation-led leadership programming, though focused on entrepreneurship rather than civil service.
• Acumen Academy (Acumen): Global leadership academy delivering blended online and in-person training for social-sector leaders in Africa and beyond — comparable in leadership-development training methodology and pan-African reach, though Acumen targets social entrepreneurs rather than civil servants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/epLeaders
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@emergingleaders
• Facebookfacebook.com/epleaders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emerging-public-leaders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Emerging Public Leaders