The 2021 Boris Mints Institute Prize for Global Challenges – the academic award for global solutions addressing society’s greatest challenges – has been awarded to Dr. John N. Nkengasong.
As 2021 Prize Laureate, Dr. Nkengasong has been recognized for his vital contribution to developing an effective and evidence-based response to the COVID-19 pandemic across Africa.
Prize to be awarded at a virtual ceremony, hosted by the Boris Mints Institute:
As Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Dr. Nkengasong has been a leading scientific voice in Africa’s fight against COVID-19.
He successfully convened an emergency meeting of all 55 Ministers of Health of the African Union, creating a vital forum for leaders across the continent to cooperate, collaborate, coordinate and communicate, leading to the adoption of a Joint Continental Strategy for the COVID-19 Outbreak.
Dr. Nkengasong also led the Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT), under the auspices of the African Union and the Africa CDC, accelerating testing capacity and enabling more than 90 million COVID-19 tests. Under his leadership, the Africa CDC established the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative and, in partnership with the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa, established a network for SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance to identify COVID-19 variants circulating in Africa.
In a public health career spanning over 30 years, Dr. Nkengasong has published over 250 peer reviewed articles and has received acclaimed international awards and recognitions, including ground-breaking research into HIV and its characteristics in Africa.
The Prize Laureate is a powerful exponent of a sustainable, long-term public health vision for Africa, built on increased access to vital medications, vaccines, and diagnostics.