Twenty-five young African leaders were welcomed by the Cochise County in June as part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

The individuals met with County Administrator Ed Gilligan and other leaders of the county. Some of the presentations given included financial and technical services, community development, human resources and partnerships with cities.

“It was a great honor to be one of only two Arizona counties selected to host this incredible group of diverse leaders from other countries,” Arlethe Rios, clerk of the board of supervisors, said in a press release. “Not only were we able to share information and learn from each other, but we learned that this upcoming generation of public servants shares many of the same philosophies and challenges that we do.”

The students visited Tombstone and Kartchner caverns before returning to Tempe, where they will spend six weeks at the Arizona State University studying public management.

The program began in 2014, and this year over 1,000 participants will visit educational institutions across the U.S.