Former MP Ruth Khasaya Oniang’o and Maïmouna Sidibe Coulibaly of Mali are the joint winners of this year’s Ksh10.3 million The African Food Prize.
The award recognises outstanding individuals or institutions that are leading the effort to change the reality of farming in Africa from a struggle to survive to a business that thrives.
Prof Oniang’o, a leading academic expert in food security and nutrition, was recognised for her work as founder of Rural Outreach, which has since 1992 been undertaking development activities aimed at improving the livelihoods of the rural poor in Kenya. She was the first Kenyan to obtain a doctorate in nutrition.
Oniang’o, who served as MP between 2003 and 2007, is also the Editor-in-Chief and Founder at African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development(AJFAND) – Sasakawa Africa Association.
She is currently an Adjunct Professor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, USA.
On the other hand, Sidibe Coulibaly is the founder of Faso Kaba Seed Company , which produces and sells enough seed to feed approximately half a million Malians each year. in 2007. “Faso Kaba” roughly translates to “motherland corn.”
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Now in its second year, the prize celebrates Africans who are taking control of Africa’s agriculture agenda. It puts a bright spotlight on bold initiatives and technical innovations that can be replicated across the continent to create a new era of food security and economic opportunity for all Africans.
In 2016, the inaugural Prize was awarded to Dr Kanayo F. Nwanze, the outgoing President of the Rome-based International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), for his outstanding leadership and passionate advocacy in putting Africa´s smallholder farmers at the center of the global agricultural agenda.
As one example, Dr Nwanze was credited with reorienting IFAD´s work to focus more on making small-scale farming a viable business through a country-led approach to rural development, moving from one office on the continent just a decade ago to 40 country offices.
Oniang’o and Coulibaly were chosen by the Africa Food Prize Committee, an independent body of preeminent leaders that is chaired by the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo at a ceremony in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire . The other committee members are Prof Calestous Juma, Dr Eleni Z. Gabre-Madhin, Prof Joachim von Braun and Amb. Sheila Sisulu.
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With the acknowledgement that no region of the world has developed a diverse, modern economy without first establishing a successful agriculture sector, the Africa Food Prize exists to reward individuals and institutions that are pioneering efforts to create prosperity in Africa.
It is hoped that this will encourage others to follow their lead. The Africa Food Prize began as the Yara Prize, and was established in 2005 by Yara International ASA in Norway to honor achievements in African agriculture.
The Yara Prize recognised individuals from Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Mozambique for their success in making African farms more productive, profitable and resilient.
Past winners include Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the former Nigerian Agriculture Minister who now heads the African Development Bank (AfDB); DR Agnes Kalibata, the former Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources in Rwanda who now serves as AGRA’s President; and Dr Ousmane Badiane, Africa Director for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Moving the Yara Prize to Africa in 2016 and rechristening it the Africa Food Prize gave the award a distinctive African home, African identity and African ownership.
The deadline for nominations was June 5 this year.
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