Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II is to set to decorate a total of 59 recipients with this year’s edition of the Queen’s “Young Leaders Award.”
The pool of awardees which is from across Commonwealth nations is however dominated by Africans who make up 25 of the recipients as announced by the awards organizing committee. The 2017 edition is the third in a series.
Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda topped Africa’s list with three recipients each, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Seychelles and Sierra Leone got two candidates each. A national each from Botswana, Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia completed the list.
The award is reserved for young people between the ages of 18-29 years from across the Commonwealth, young people leading their communities and impacting lives of people in their societies.
They young leaders have already arrived in the UK and are in Cambridge to undergo leadership training. They are to receive mentoring and training from the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education.
They will be expected in London to meet with top corporate leaders including visits to the BBC and offices of Facebook. The climax of their stay will be a visit to Buckingham Palace where the Queen’s Young Leaders will collect their medals from Her Majesty The Queen.
With the support, Award winners are expected to continue and develop the amazing work they are already doing in their communities.
Across the continent, two European countries (the United Kingdom and Malta) produced four winners. Ten countries in the Carribean/Americas had 13. Five Pacific nations brought on eight winners with nine awardees from six Asian countries completing the list.
According to the awards website, ‘‘The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognises and celebrates exceptional people aged 18-29 from across the Commonwealth, who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives.
‘‘Winners of this prestigious Award will receive a unique package of training, mentoring and networking, including a one-week residential programme in the UK during which they will collect their Award from Her Majesty The Queen,’‘ the statement added.
