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The spread of infectious diseases is a common danger to all humankind. Africa in particular is a region with a serious need for solutions to infectious diseases. It is in recognition of this fact that the Japanese Government has established the Hideyo Noguchi Prize for Africa. The prize aims to encourage the fight against diseases in Africa by honoring individuals with outstanding achievements in the fields of medical research and medical services, thus contributing to the health and welfare of people living in Africa and indeed of human beings everywhere.
| 2. Criteria and Eligibility |
| (1) | The prize is aimed at individuals active in the fields of medical research and medical services for their outstanding achievements in the fight against infectious and other diseases in Africa.
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| (2) | In the field of medical services in particular, it is required that such outstanding achievements take place in Africa or that the activities concerned be based in Africa so that they may have contributed to improvements in the health and welfare of people living in Africa.
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| (3) | No distinction will be made according to nationality, age or gender.
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| (4) | The Prize will be limited to people still living or to heads of active organizations.
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This Prize will be awarded every five years to coincide with the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
The Prize has been tentatively set at approximately ¥100 million Yen, based on the notion that it should be an amount comparable to but not in excess of the value of the Nobel Prize (which is 10 million Swedish Kroner, or about ¥140 million). The exact value of the Prize will be determined in accordance with our ongoing deliberations about the actual framework of this initiative.
| 5. Process of selecting the Winner(s) |
The selection process for the Prize will consist of two steps, namely the nomination of candidates by the Nomination Committee and the decision on the winner(s) by the Decision Committee.
(1) The Government of Japan will elaborate and establish concrete selection procedures for the prize, with a view to holding the first awarding on the occasion of TICAD IV in 2008. The Government of Japan is exploring the possibility of cooperation with various private institutions and related governments, such as the African Union(AU), the government of Ghana and the Rockefeller Foundation which had close relation with Dr. Hideyo Noguchi.
(2) Road Map
| 2nd May 2006 | During his visit to Ghana, Prime Minister Koizumi mentioned the concept of the Prize on the occasion of the joint press conference with President John Agyekun Kufuor following their meeting. |
| 25th July 2006 | Prime Minister Koizumi officially announced the creation of the Prize on the occasion of the visit to Japan by Professor Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union. |
| 28th July 2006 | Cabinet approval |
| 2006 | Establishment of the Nomination Committee and the Decision Committee |
| 2007 | Selection of the first Prize winner(s) |
| 2008 | 2008 First award ceremony on the occasion of TICAD IV |
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