University don Isaac Nyamongo wins prestigious award
Professor Isaac Nyamongo of Cooperative University of Kenya.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Co-operative Development, Research and Innovation) of Cooperative University of Kenya Professor Isaac Nyamongo on Wednesday won the prestigious International Cooperative Champion award for 2022.
He is the first Kenyan to be awarded the prize after he was nominated by the Global Communities which is a member of the United States Overseas Cooperative Development Council (OCDC).
Prof Nyamongo was honored by US OCDC Executive Director Paul Hazen at the annual Cooperative impact conference in Washington DC.
The award was created by the US OCDC to recognise individuals who made remarkable contributions in championing, promoting and advocating for effective, sustainable international cooperative development in low-income and emerging economies according to the organisation.
“The committee considered statesmanship, lasting achievement, co-op advancement, recognition and business practice. This year’s Champion embodies all of these,” said Mr Hazen in a statement released after the announcement.
He is a professor of anthropology and holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Florida, USA. He has nearly 30 years of experience in teaching, research and consultancy.
Prof Nyamongo has been awarded research and training grants from many organisations including the European Union, World Health Organization, International Development Research Center, Wenner Gren Foundation and Toyota Foundation among others.
The enormous contribution of Prof Nyamongo through opinion pieces in the Daily Nation was one of the reasons he edged out other nominees from across the globe.
“Prof Nyamongo was especially cited for his regular contribution on cooperatives in the Daily Nation. The opinion pieces have drawn interest from cooperatives and their members within and outside of Kenya. The cooperatives column provides a forum to dissect current issues on cooperatives and the cooperative model,” US OCDC said.
Since 2018, he has participated in various support building for cooperative leaders in the East African region under the leadership change program supported by Sweden's We-Effect of Sweden
The university don is said to have been involved in policy dialogues with cooperative leaders, policymakers and implementers and with global communities’ development and piloting of the Worker Cooperatives Curriculum at the Cooperative University of Kenya.
Prof Nyamongo also chairs the Committee on Cooperative Research of the International Cooperative Alliance-Africa Region and represents Africa on the Committee on Cooperative Research at the global level.
