Chief Scientist of FAO joins Al Sumait Prize Board of Trustees

Kuwait City, Kuwait, 3rd August 2021 – Kuwait’s Al-Sumait Prize for African Development today announced that Dr Ismahane Elouafi, the first Chief Scientist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has joined the Al Sumait Prize Board of Trustees.

Dr Khaled Al-Fadhel, Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), member and rapporteur of Al Sumait Board of Trustees, said: "we are privileged to welcome Dr. Elouafi, a distinguished scientist and a leader who has espoused passionately the improvement of the quality of life for African societies."

Dr Elouafi has been a board member of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the USA; the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), the UK; and the Professional Development Institute, Canada. She is also a member of the Scientific Group for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit and of the CGIAR System Management Board.

“I'm honored to join the Board of Trustees of the Al-Sumait Prize. It will be my pleasure to contribute in honoring and recognizing our heroes (both individuals or institutions) and their contributions to African development. We need to celebrate their achievements as generating HOPE can have a tremendous impact on people's wellbeing." Dr Elouafi said on accepting the invitation.

Her contributions to science and policy have been recognized with a number of prestigious awards and accolades, including the National Reward Medal by His Majesty Mohamed VI, the King of Morocco, and the Excellence in Science Award from the Global Thinkers Forum.

The Call for the 2021 Al-Sumait Prize in Health will close on 15th August 2021.

The Health category includes but is not limited to initiatives, program, and research projects in the following areas: Combating the prevalence of diseases in Africa, with a special focus on the utilization of effective frameworks and programs, to address and manage health crises such as SARS, COVID-19, and infectious zoonotic diseases; National capacity building in medical research and medical education; Upgrading and maintenance of national medical facilities; Developing national health policies and successful implementation of the outcomes.

Eligible candidates include organizations and research institutions whose initiatives and programs contributed significantly to solving health challenges in Africa, as well as outstanding researchers who are nominated by their institutions and peers.