By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Kuwait government has opened applications for the Al-Sumait Prize to honour individuals or institutions who have, through their work or research, made significant advances in the fields of food security, health, and education in Africa.
The event is organised by the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the State of Kuwait and managed by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS).
Objectives
Administered by KFAS and a Board of Trustees, the objective of the prizes is to recognize the best studies, scientific projects, applied research, and innovative initiatives that have a significant impact and lasting influence on advancing progress towards economic and social development in Africa.
Who is eligible?
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):
• Developing new seed, crop, or livestock varieties to enhance food security and nutrition in Africa.
• Increasing the shelf life, caloric, and nutritional value of locally produced and consumed food.
• Improving smallholder farmers’ access to agricultural inputs, techniques, technologies, and markets to ensure the availability of nutritious food for vulnerable communities.
• Enhancing farmers’ resilience to climate change and extreme weather variability to secure sustainable food production and nutrition.
• Reducing food waste and food loss across Africa’s agrifood systems.
• Advancing alternative agrifood systems to increase productivity while reducing water footprints, especially in marginal environments.
• Promoting the adoption of modern business strategies, digitalization, and marketing in the field of food security and nutrition.
• Implementing innovative and sustainable solutions to combat food insecurity and malnutrition.
Prize Information
The prize is awarded annually and has a value of $1,000,000 (One million US dollars).
Requirements
• The nominated candidates’ research and development work or projects and initiatives must be innovative and have achieved high impact on the African continent.
• 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, education.
• The 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.
• 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.
• All submissions must be submitted in English. If the work is carried out is in another language, a comprehensive summary of the nominated work in English must be submitted.
How to Apply
Click HERE to begin application
Deadline: June 30, 2025
The Al-Sumait Prize, organized by the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS), is open for applications.
This initiative honors individuals or institutions that have significantly advanced fields such as food security, health, and education in Africa through their work or research.
The prize aims to acknowledge impactful studies, projects, and innovations that contribute to Africa's economic and social development.
Eligible candidates include those who have contributed to enhancing food security through innovations in agriculture, improved food resilience to climate changes, and reducing food waste, among other initiatives.
The prize offers $1,000,000 annually and requires submissions to demonstrate high impact in Africa, with research published in recognized scientific journals and applied in recent years.
Nominations can be submitted by reputable institutions and organizations, with all submissions provided in English or accompanied by an English summary. The application deadline is June 30, 2025, and applications can be started online.
