Nigerian Emerges Sole African Winner Of 2026 Global Catalyst Fund

A development expert from Nigeria, Dr Ibraheem Dooba, has secured a prominent place on the global development stage, becoming the only African recipient of the 2026 McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund.

The award, conferred by the McNulty Foundation in collaboration with the Aspen Institute, recognises six global leaders advancing innovative solutions to structural challenges across continents.

Dooba was selected for his leadership of 200MillionTrees, an initiative that addresses the nexus among environmental degradation, food insecurity and persistent farmer–herder conflict in Northern Nigeria.

His model integrates afforestation, community engagement and sustainable agriculture to mitigate resource-based conflicts while enhancing nutrition and economic resilience.

He emphasised to LEADERSHIP after his emergence the importance of locally driven interventions, saying, “Nigeria’s challenges require context-specific solutions. This award validates the effectiveness of community-led models in addressing complex development issues.”

The Catalyst Fund provides financial and strategic support to scale impactful initiatives globally, with a total award pool of $120,000 shared among the recipients.

Dooba’s recognition highlights Nigeria’s role in advancing innovative responses to interconnected environmental and socio-economic challenges