Dr Richard Munang was conferred the title on 1st September 2016 by the International Environmental Roundtable for Africa in Abuja-Nigeria.
The award was handed by Nigeria’s Honorable Minister of State for Environment Ibrahim Usman Jibril.
Speaking during a life interview this 7th September 2016, on CRTV's Cameroon this Morning, Dr. Richard dedicated the award to the entire people of the continent most especially his parents whose encouragement enhanced his strides.
Apart from the external support, Dr. Munang’s 8 years’ experience as an environmental expert, his humility and assiduity were added advantages to grasping the prestigious award.
Talking about innovations in the African Climate change policies the laureat said a simple network that brings together men, women and youths to fight against the continent’s challenges will likely be put in place.
For this to work, a partnership with the Government, private sectors, individual organizations will be empowered to have markets so that what is being produced in the continent could be sold in the continent. As such, ideas that can work in Cameroon could be shared in the Sahel, Burkina Faso, West Africa etc.
To him much will be put in place so Africa’s environmental space should become an opportunity for development, job creation, energy provision, solution to the world, so to achieve the Africa Agenda 2063.
He decried that Africa is the only continent with 65% un-cultivated land yet with 85% people living in abject poverty and hunger, (240, million people), even though with more than enough natural resources. The source of energy in the sub Saharan Africa could light the entire world but three quarters of energy consumed is foreign.