Mandela Washington Fellowship - Summer 2021
Nafissatou Traore is a senior advocacy specialist with experience with and understanding of sustainable social change creation. She has strengthened the capacity of 300+ civil society actors to strategically navigate policy decision-making processes, tap into appropriate levers of power, and effectively use research findings to influence policy agendas. In addition to facilitating civil society’s engagement in policymaking, Nafissatou has advised international donor interventions in Africa. Some of her more recent research-oriented work has focused on informing donors on how to best support the sustainable provision of quality essential services in West Africa, as well as how to boost the adoption of anti-tobacco policies across the continent through improved civic governance. Always animated by the desire to spread knowledge that makes a difference, Nafissatou has written a publication on how social change happens in West Africa. After completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, she aims to further amplify the voices and perspectives of the Global South in high-level policy mechanisms nationally, regionally, and internationally.