South African humanitarian, Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, has been honored with the prestigious Daily Trust African of the Year award for 2023.
The announcement was made on Friday, December 1, 2023, at the conclusion of the virtual meeting of the pan-African prize committee.
Dr. Sooliman, a medical doctor who redirected his career toward humanitarian aid, emerged as the winner from a pool of nine finalists, selected from 736 nominations received during the initial phase of the selection process in October 2023.
The six-member committee, chaired by former Prime Minister of Botswana, Dr. Festus Mogae, acknowledged Dr. Sooliman’s transcendent work that spans across race, religion, culture, class, and geography. Mr. Amadou Mahtar Ba, the acting chairman and Executive Chairman of AllAfrica Global Media Incorporated, unveiled the winner during the virtual meeting.
In a press release by the Secretariat of the Daily Trust African of the Year Award, signed by Ahmed I. Shekarau, Dr. Sooliman is lauded as a “worthy and exemplary humanitarian” characterized by a steadfast belief in the common humanity uniting people worldwide. The statement, issued by Mr. Shekarau, the Ag. Group Chief Executive Officer of the Media Trust Group, promoters of the award, highlighted Dr. Sooliman’s three-decade-long leadership of the Gift of the Givers Foundation.
The foundation, under Dr. Sooliman’s guidance, has consistently provided humanitarian and medical supplies to disaster-stricken areas in Africa and beyond since 1992. The release cited the foundation’s impactful interventions in various locations, including Turkey, Libya, and the Gaza Strip, demonstrating its commitment to alleviating human suffering in diverse contexts.
The nine finalists for the award included individuals like Qabale Duba, a Kenyan Nurse/Epidemiologist; Tatenda Ndambakuwa, a Zimbabwean Mathematician and Urban Planner; and Dr. Ola Orekunrin, a Nigerian medical doctor and helicopter pilot.
Established in 2008 by Daily Trust, the African of the Year award recognizes outstanding Africans who have made extraordinary contributions to human development on the continent. Dr. Denis Mukwege, the first recipient in 2008, went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.
The award includes a cash prize, and the formal presentation of the 2023 award is scheduled to take place during the Daily Trust Dialogue in January 2024.