New York, NY, October 8, 2004 - The Honorable Professor Wangari Maathai, Kenyan MP and deputy environment minister was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. Professor Maathai received an AAI African Graduate Fellowship Program (AFGRAD) scholarship to attend the University of Pittsburgh where she received a Master's in Biology in 1965. She went on to receive a PhD from the University of Nairobi. Under the AFGRAD program, funded by USAID, AAI recruited African students and supported them while they studied in universities in the US. 97% of AAI-sponsored students graduate at the top of their class and nearly 90% return to their home countries upon completing their degrees.

Professor Maathai was awarded the AAI Distinguished Alumna Award in 1992, at a ceremony which also celebrated Nelson Mandela.

"It's very exciting that the first Nobel Peace Prize recognizing the environment is going to an African woman who had the foresight 30 years ago to preserve and regenerate the environment so that it can support future generations" said AAI President Mora McLean. "We are delighted that Professor Maathai is an AAI alumna," added AAI Chair Kofi Appenteng. "This is a profound endorsement of the value of long-term investment in human capital."

Ambassador Andrew Young noted, "It is very refreshing to see such a prestigious award go to a dedicated African woman whose work is having such a positive impact not only in environmental issues, but in all aspects of humanity that are crucial to peace and prosperity. AAI is to be congratulated for contributing to the early careers of so many influential Africans, and today especially, to that of Wangari Maathai, a true first."

"The Nobel Peace Prize rightly honors the extraordinary work of a dedicated activist who recognized very early that a rapidly growing population and diminishing natural resources in Kenya would lead to more poverty and hunger, and created a movement to reverse this dynamic," Congresswoman Barbara Lee commented on hearing the news. "The award also recognizes that advanced education, such as AAI provides, plays a role in solving global problems."

The Africa-America Institute (AAI) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting enlightened engagement between Africa and America through education, training, and dialogue, founded in 1953 by Leo Hansberry of Howard University, Horace Mann Bond of Lincoln University and a small network of others who cared deeply about Africa. For more than 50 years, AAI has acted on the belief that no strategy to achieve sustainable development in Africa can succeed without concerted attention to the education and skills of individuals. At any point in history, whether the goals are to prevent war or to increase trade, the human resource dimension is critical. We proudly count more than 20,000 Africans as alumni of AAI's graduate and professional training programs. These leaders are now among the vanguard in strengthening Africa's emerging private sector, as well as promoting democratization, women's rights, economic reform and other progressive movements across the continent. In addition, AAI offers members of Congress, leaders in business and education, and a broad spectrum of other Americans a deeper understanding of Africa.

A photo of Professor Maathai is available on http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/2004/index.html