The Mauritius government has nominated Mrs Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as President of the Republic of Mauritius.
This is the first nomination of a female president in the history of this country. Madam President is to be officially sworn-in and take up office on Friday, 5 June 2015.
Mrs Gurib-Fakim has had an impressive professional career, a renowned scientific expert with international recognition. Professor Ameenah Gurib-Fakim’s CV attests to that recognition; the Managing Director of the Centre for Phytotherapy Research (CEPHYR) and also full Professor with a personal chair in Organic Chemistry at the University of Mauritius (2001) and where she has served successively as Dean of the Faculty of Science and Pro Vice Chancellor (2004-2010). She has also worked at the Mauritius Research Council as Manager for Research (1995-1997).
On the international scene our illustrious President was a Founding member of the Pan-African Association of African Medicinal Plants standards and she has co-authored the very first ever African Herbal Pharmacopoeia (2010) funded by the CDE and ProInvest (ACP), Brussels. Member of the: reference group of the International Science Programme (IPICs) of Uppsala University, she is also a scientific advisor to the International Foundation of Science (IFS) in Stockholm, member of the Expert Panel of the Special Programme of the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO on ‘Infectious diseases’ programme; Member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the NTembi of the ‘Nuclear Energy Commission of South Africa (NECSA); and Member of the International Scientific Advisory Committee for the Cyclotron Project of the Indian Ocean ‘CYROI’ based at the Universite de La Reunion, Reunion (Fr.) and the international representative of the assessment panel of the AUCC-CIDA projects.
Furthermore, she has authored many scientific articles and authored and co-edited more than 26 books and several book chapters.
For her services to the country, Mrs Gurib-Fakim was elevated to the Order of the Commander of the Star and Key by the Government of Mauritius. She was also admitted to the Order of the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques (2010) by the Government of France.
Mauritius is proud of the nomination of a woman of this calibre to represent the Republic, “ Stella Clavisque Maris Indici ”.
Video Link: Biologist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim talks about rare plants.
It certainly looks as if the right person has been chosen to take-up this post.
She sounds like a woman with a brilliant head on her shoulders. Congrats to her and may your island remain a paradise, Mike!
Indeed, everything is here to make us proud of our new Madame La President…
Historical event for the country but also a sign of the willingness for change.