Professor Mary Abukutsa Onyango, a renowned Kenyan scientist who has extensively worked on African leafy vegetables and championed their consumption for improved, affordable nutrition, has received the prestigious Africa Food Prize.

Announced on September 3^rd at the 2025 Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, Senegal, professor Abukutsa Onyango was named the 2025 Africa Food Prize Laureate alongside Dr. Mercy Diebiru-Ojo of Nigeria.

Speaking at the event that unveiled the winners, professor Abukutsa Onyango expressed her delight at the announcement, noting that the win is a testament of the value that Africa has placed on the African leafy vegetables, crops that she considers as gold amid African food systems.

I am deeply humbled by this recognition and award which is not just a win for me, but also for other researchers working on these vegetables. I will continue to intensify the research and advocacy for African leafy vegetables as part and parcel of our food systems and diets. Expressed professor Abukutsa Onyango.

The celebrated professor is one of the 22 Fellows who participated in the pilot Fellowship funded by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2006 and that formed the foundation of AWARD Fellowships.

A Professor of Horticulture at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), professor Abukutsa Onyango has also served as a mentor to four Fellows, a role that she has highlighted as a game changer for her.

Professor Abukutsa Onyango has been an avid supporter of mentoring as a key ingredient of widening the pipeline of women in agricultural researchers and ultimately paving the way for them to enter and stay in leadership.

Congratulating Professor Abukutsa Onyango on her win, Dr. Susan Kaaria, Director of AWARD, noted that the win as an endorsement of the fundamental contribution of women as leaders in agrifood systems that will hugely inspire other women scientists.

We are delighted to see one of our own receive the prestigious award and particularly pleased to see how the Africa Food Prize continues to amplify the visibility of African women leading agricultural research and development on the continent, a much-needed act to help move the needle toward plugging the gender gap in agrifood systems. Said Dr. Kaaria

She joins other eminent Laureates who are revolutionizing African food systems. Congratulations to Professor Mary Abukutsa-Onyango on much-deserved recognition.