Al-Sumait Prize for African Development announces winners for the 2022 award

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and Dr. Catherine Nakalembe were named joint winners of the Al-Sumait Prize for African Development for the year 2022 in the field of food security, in recognition of their outstanding achievements in this crucial field on the African continent. The board of trustees of the Al-Sumait Prize for African Development is chaired by His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

As per the Board of Trustees, the African Agricultural Technology Fund (AATF), headed by Professor Aggrey Ambali and situated in Kenya, was awarded the Prize for its ability to facilitate small farmers in African nations to acquire and employ suitable agricultural technologies when needed to tackle issues concerning productivity, marketing, climate change resilience, and health hazards.

The Board also announced that Dr. Catherine Nakalembe, a Ugandan, was the recipient of the Prize for her renowned expertise in crop mapping and monitoring through the application of machine learning and remote sensing techniques. In addition, she oversees the NASA Harvest Africa initiative at the University of Maryland, which trains smallholder farmers in Africa by giving them tools and systems.

The organization that oversees the Prize, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), said that the winner of the Prize, AATF, has shown a long-term positive impact and introduced innovative programs for many Africans, in addition to its innovative response to challenges and issues related to food security.

KFAS further stated that by means of this Prize, the State of Kuwait has helped African-based organizations stand out for their exceptional and successful projects and programs, as well as their commitment to enhancing food security for communities throughout the continent. KFAS reports that 51 submissions for the Prize were received this year from 22 different countries.

Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and member of the Prize’s Board of Trustees, stated that in the midst of the numerous global crises we are all facing, work and research that improves food security, health, and education in Africa offer hope.

Dr. Elouafi offered her congratulations to the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and Dr. Catherine Nakalembe, the winners of the prize. She noted that creating new innovations and broadening their application to small-scale African producers is crucial to ending hunger and poverty and enhancing the standard of living for African producers. Additionally, she added that the winners serve as an inspiration to numerous individuals and organizations to work even harder to improve Africa.

Remarkably, the late Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may Allah rest his soul, took the heroic initiative to introduce the annual Al-Sumait Prize for African Development during the 2013 Arab African Summit, which Kuwait hosted. The Prize was introduced in memory of the late Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sumait, a Kuwaiti physician who dedicated his life to addressing the problems that Africa has in the areas of health, education, and food security.

The Prize seeks to honor and acknowledge the top studies, scientific endeavors, applied research, and projects that significantly contribute to the development of African infrastructure as well as the promotion of social, economic, and human resources.