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The Board of Trustees of the Al-Sumait Prize for African Development announces the award winners for the year 2024. It was jointly awarded to three African researchers in the field of health.

The prize valued at $1,000,000 awarded annually Honors individuals or institutions who help to advance economic and social development, human resources development and infrastructure in Africa.

Kuwait City, 25th August 2025: The Board of Trustees of the Al-Sumait Prize for African Development has announced the winners of the 2024 Al-Sumait Prize in the field of Health, jointly awarded to three distinguished African scientists for their pioneering contributions to the fight against malaria in Africa.

The one million US dollar Prize was shared equally among:

Professor Fred Binka (Ghana), Vice President of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, who conducted groundbreaking early studies on insecticide-treated bed nets. His work led to the adoption of this intervention as one of the most effective malaria prevention methods across Africa. Despite challenges of working in a low-resource environment, his leadership and collaboration with global institutions, including the Wellcome Trust , ensured sustainable impact on malaria control.

A man wearing glasses, a black suit, white shirt, and a colorful patterned tie, posing against a white background.

Professor Richard Idro (Uganda), Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at Makerere University and Consultant Pediatric Neurologist at Mulago National Referral Hospital, demonstrated the efficacy of chemoprevention (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for patients after discharge from hospital following malaria treatment. Despite working in a resource-constrained environment, he conducted impactful research that has significantly advanced patient care and outcomes in malaria management.

A smiling man in glasses, white shirt, and blue floral tie standing indoors, leaning on a chair.

Professor Halidou Tinto (Burkina Faso), Director of Research in Parasitology and Regional Director of the Institute for Health Sciences Research in Nanoro, Burkina Faso. He led large-scale clinical trials proving the efficacy of two landmark malaria vaccines, RTSS (GSK) and R21 (Oxford University). His leadership advanced Africa’s capacity for vaccine research and implementation despite severe limitations in research infrastructure.

“Winners of the Al-Sumait Prize for African Development have advanced world-class research in resource-constrained environments, showing extraordinary resilience and commitment. KFAS is proud to celebrate their leadership in transforming the fight against malaria and improving health outcomes in Africa.”

The Prize, established in honour of the late Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s initiative during the 2013 Arab-African Summit, commemorates the legacy of Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sumait, a Kuwaiti physician whose life was devoted to humanitarian and development work in Africa. It recognises excellence in Health, Food Security, and Education with a focus on projects and research that deliver lasting change for African communities.

The Board of Trustees of the Al-Sumait Prize for African Development is chaired by His Excellency Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, Kuwait’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Other members of the Board include Mr. Abdulatif Alhamad, former Director General and Chairman of the Board of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, and Mr. Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Board also comprises Dr. Kwaku Aning, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Professor Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, and Dr. Jaouad Mahjour, Assistant Director-General at the World Health Organization in charge of the Emergency Management and Response Program.

Other distinguished members include Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR  , Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Director at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, and Dr. Ameenah Rajab Farhan, Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences.

Cidade do Kuwait, 10 de março de 2022. Os galardoados da edição de 2021 do Prémio Al-Sumait para o Desenvolvimento Africano no campo da Saúde foram endossados pelo Conselho de Assessores do Prémio, pelo seu trabalho excecional em prol do desenvolvimento sanitário em África.

O prestigioso Prêmio Al-Sumait 2021 Million Dollar é concedido pelo conselho de administração a:

Dr. John N. Nkengasong, Diretor do Centro Africano de Controlo e Prevenção de Doenças (CDC africano), que recebeu o prémio pelo seu papel essencial no desenvolvimento de uma resposta da África ao surto de doenças e por ser o principal cientista a dirigir a resposta da África à Covid-19. Ele desempenha um papel fundamental na prestação de apoio técnico para o reforço das instituições de saúde pública e de controlo de doenças na União Africana. Moldou o controlo do continente em relação à Covid-19 e iniciou programas decisivos que tiveram impacto na resposta da África à Covid-19.

Centro Africano de Excelência para a Genómica das Doenças Infeciosas (ACEGID), sediado na Nigéria, que recebeu o prémio pela sua liderança no desenvolvimento do campo da genómica das doenças infeciosas, através da investigação translacional de alta qualidade e do desenvolvimento de capacitação em África. Isto transformou significativamente a compreensão sobre a evolução dos agentes patogénicos, a dinâmica de transmissão e as aplicações do conhecimento genómico na resposta aos surtos.

A Fundação do Kuwait para o Avanço das Ciências (KFAS), que administra o prémio: ” Parabenizamos os vencedores, Dr. Nkengasong e o ACEGID têm demonstrado um impacto positivo de grande alcance e programas inovadores em muitos países africanos. Ambos deram respostas criativas a problemas e desafios sanitários”.

A fundação explica, com este Prémio, o Kuwait tem vindo a apoiar organizações que trabalham em e para a África a serem reconhecidas pelos seus projetos e programas influentes, bem como pela dedicação em melhorar a saúde das comunidades em vários países africanos. Ele lembrou que, este ano, o Prémio recebeu mais de 61 candidaturas, abrangendo 26 países.

O Conselho do Al-Sumait é presidido pelo H.E. Sheikh/Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros e Ministro de Estado para os Assuntos de Gabinete. Outros membros do conselho incluem: o Sr. Abdulatif Alhamad, ex-Diretor Geral e Presidente do Fundo Árabe para o Desenvolvimento Económico e Social; Bill Gates, copresidente da Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, o Dr. Kwaku Aning, Presidente do Conselho Diretivo da Comissão de Energia Atómica do Gana, Presidente do Instituto de Energia Nuclear do Gana e ex-Diretor Geral Adjunto da Agência Internacional de Energia Atómica, a Prof. Stefania Giannini, Diretora Geral Adjunta da Educação na UNESCO; o Dr. Jaouad Mahjour, Diretor Geral adjunto da Divisão de Preparação de Emergência no âmbito do Programa de Emergência da Organização Mundial da Saúde; a Dra. Ismahane Elouafi, Cientista-Chefe da Organização para a Alimentação e Agricultura (FAO); o Sr. Abdoulie Janneh, membro do conselho/diretor executivo da Mo Ibrahim Foundation; o Sr. Marwan Al Ghanim, Diretor Geral do Fundo do Kuwait para o Desenvolvimento Económico Árabe e o Dr. Khaled Al-Fadhel, Diretor Geral da Fundação do Kuwait para o Avanço das Ciências.

O Prémio Al-Sumait para o Desenvolvimento Africano é uma premiação anual iniciada pelo falecido emir do Kuwait, Sua Alteza Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, durante a III Cimeira Afro-Árabe, que foi organizada pelo Kuwait em 2013. Este prémio leva o nome de um médico kuwaitiano, o falecido Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sumait, que dedicou a sua vida a ajudar os mais desfavorecidos em África em vários campos, incluindo saúde, segurança alimentar e educação. O prémio tem como objetivo reconhecer e apreciar os melhores estudos, projetos científicos, investigações aplicadas e iniciativas com um forte impacto no progresso do desenvolvimento económico, social, de recursos humanos e de infraestruturas no continente africano

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The Al-Sumait Prize for African Development is an annual award initiated by the Late Amir of the State of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, after a Kuwaiti physician, the late Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sumait, who dedicated his life towards helping the disadvantaged in Africa in many fields including health, food security, and education. The prize aims to recognize and appreciate the best studies, scientific projects, applied research, and initiatives with high impact for the advancement of economic, social, human resources, and infrastructure development in the African continent.

The area for the 2023 prize is Education:

The Prize is to be awarded to individuals or institutions who through their research projects or initiatives have made significant advancement within one or more of the following areas (or other related fields):

  • Improving peoples access to basic education, vocational & training programs and/or higher education.
  • Improving literacy among all members of society.
  • Decreasing the dependence of children’s education on the socio-economical status of their parents.
  • Innovative approach to Education that maximizes resources available (Technology).

Conditions and requirements:

  1. The nominated candidates’ research and development work or projects and initiatives must be innovative and have achieved high-impact in the African continent.
  2. The submitted work must be of paramount importance in promoting significant economic, social, human resources and infrastructure development within the announced field of the prize.
  3. Submitted research work of a nominated candidate should be composed of studies and applied research, published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and recognized at a global level within the announced field. The research outcomes need to have been applied after publication in African countries within the past ten years. Adequate supporting evidence needs to be provided.
  4. Nominations are accepted from competent regional and international institutions and scientific centers (universities, institutes and centers of scientific research) as well as from UN organizations, former winners in the field of the prize, or former evaluation members.
  5. All submissions must be submitted in English. If the work is carried out is in other languages, a comprehensive summary of the nominated work in English must be submitted.

How to Apply:

  1. Fill in the prize nomination form: https://www.alsumaitprize.org/nominations/ and send it along with the scientific production works electronically in PDF format
  2. Applications are addressed to the Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).

The nomination form and submitted works must be received before May 31st 2023.