President Obama will host twenty-five young African leaders who participated in a six-week fellowship program at the University of Minnesota.

Five-hundred fellows from across Africa will participate in the town-hall meeting with the president and first lady today as part of Obama's inaugural Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

The fellowships are designed to give participants from sub-Saharan Africa leadership training at American universities, as well as the chance to meet with U.S. government officials and civic leaders.

Since early June, the 'U' group has studied community and non-profit organizations around the Twin Cities.

Obama announced creation of the fellowship program during a 2013 trip to South Africa. During today's session, he plans to rename the program in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela.