The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) was launched by the United States Government as a signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. The YALI Regional Leadership Center West Africa seeks to empower young men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 from Togo, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, who are ready to embrace leadership and work hard to transform their countries. The YALI Emerging Leaders Program teaches young African leaders about modern leadership. The program is divided into four phases - a coursework phase delivered online and the remaining 3 phases distributed equally among a mentorship program, internship or community service, and a report-writing period.

Focusing on the coursework phase, it entails three core courses (Leadership and Accountability, Ethics, and Contemporary issues affecting Africa) and one elective course selected from a sample of three courses covering three themes, namely Entrepreneurship, Public Policy and Management, and Civil Society Management.