Amir receives Al-Sumait Prize Board of Trustees
2015, 2016 winners announced
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday received First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and Director of the Board of Trustees of Abdulrahman Al-Sumait Prize for African Development Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and board members.
During the meeting that came on the occasion of announcing winners of Al-Sumait Prize for African Development for the years 2015 and 2016, His Highness the Amir recalled Sumait’s exploits and his great services to Islam and charity on the continent.
Sumait has offered a civilized and honorable model for charity and humanitarian work of his country, devoting his life to assisting the afflicted and the needy. His Highness wished the board everlasting success. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah.
Winners
Dr Kevin March of the Kenya-based African Academy for Sciences and Oxford University was awarded the 2015 health award for his relentless work to improve children’s lives in the African continent, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled announced after chairing a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Prize. Meanwhile, the 2016 prize, also $1 million and dedicated for food security, was shared by the Peru-based CIP’s Sweet Potato for Nutrition Team and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), based in Nigeria.
He said Dr March, who would receive the $1 million prize, won the award for his sustained efforts for around three decades in scientific research, training and building of institutions with the objective of controlling and eradicating Malaria, Sheikh Sabah said. He also indicated that Dr March has big contributions to addressing problems of respiratory system as well as malnutrition.
CIP’s team, explained Sheikh Sabah AlKhaled, had successful research in improving quality of nutrition especially by sweet potato in the African continent. The team, he added, developed new types of sweet potatoes rich with vitamin A thus improving food system of millions of African families, compensating severe shortage of this essential vitamin.
The IITA has successful application of research aimed at improving quality of basic food substances, corn and legumes. Sheikh Sabah AlKhaled said IITA succeeded in developing food security for millions of people in Africa through the development of major staple food crops, such as cassava, banana and maize. The winners will be officially awarded during the upcoming Arab-African Summit, due in Equatorial Guinea, next month.
Developments
At the beginning of the Board of Trustees meeting, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, in a brief speech, called for collaboration of efforts to improve sustainable development plans of developing countries, particularly the African continent to eradicate poverty, illiteracy and diseases.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, who conveyed greetings of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to members of Board of Trustees, said Kuwait has long been supporting humanitarian and development domains all over the world.
He said Abdulrahman Al-Sumait prize was another addition to endeavors by the state of Kuwait towards development of needy communities. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled cited the UN honoring of His Highness the Amir as a “Humanitarian Leader,” and Kuwait as a “Humanitarian Center.” The Board of Trustees consists of Bill Gates, co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr Donald Kaberuka, Former President of the African Development Bank, Dr Kwaku Aning, Former Deputy Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Abdulateef Al-Hamad, Director General and Chairman of the Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, and Tareq Al-Mutawa, Executive Member of the Board of Public Gathering Charity Committee and others.
Discoveries
Dr Adnan Shihab-Eldin, Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), which administers the awards, is the rapporteur. Shihab-Eldin, in a separate statement, said “we are deeply humbled by the efforts demonstrated by Al-Sumait prize laureates in the pursuit of scientific discoveries to meet the challenges of disease, nutrition, food production and climate change. “The laureates were in the frontline of Africa’s challenges, yet have succeeded despite limited resources,” he said.
Al-Sumait prize honors individuals or institutions that help advance economic and social development, human resources development and infrastructure in Africa through their sustained research and or innovative projects that result in major impact on the lives and welfare of the people of Africa especially the poor and underprivileged.
The prize was announced by His Highness the Amir during the 3rd Arab-African summit that was held in Kuwait in 2013 in appreciation of Al-Sumait’s humanitarian legacy in the African continent. “Each of the winners represent innovative, exciting initiatives being done to address the challenges facing Africa,” said Shihab-Eldin. —KUNA