Khalil Ezzinbi wins the Gaston N’Guérékata Award in Burkina Faso
ASIAM honours mathematical achievement and a legacy of opening doors for African researchers
Moroccan mathematician Professor Khalil Ezzinbi has received the 2026 N’Guérékata Award for Excellence in Mathematics at the African Conference on Industrial and Applied Mathematics, ACIAM 2026, in Burkina Faso. The distinction recognises his research, his training of African mathematicians and his contribution to the international reach of mathematics developed on the continent.
Presented during the opening ceremony, the award also brought attention to the scholar whose name it bears: Professor Gaston Mandata N’Guérékata, a Central African mathematician whose scientific achievements have been accompanied by decades of mentorship. For Professor Abdon Atangana, President of the African Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ASIAM) and initiator of the award, recognising such careers is a responsibility Africa must assume for itself.
A continental celebration in Burkina Faso
Held from 5 to 9 October 2026 at Université Thomas Sankara, the conference brought together participants from 25 countries through attendance in person and online. Its scientific programme connected mathematical research with climate resilience, health, industry and artificial intelligence. Young researchers shared the programme with established international scholars.
Three ministries were represented at the opening ceremony, covered by four media organisations. The President of Université Thomas Sankara, Professor Tibi Didier Zoungrana, delivered the opening address, followed by Professor Atangana and a representative of the Minister of Higher Education. The presentation of the award placed African scientific achievement at the centre of this gathering.
A continental celebration in Burkina Faso
Professor Atangana introduced the award to help younger Africans recognise that their continent has produced mathematicians whose ideas matter internationally. He believes that students should encounter African scientific role models in their education, in public life and in the honours their institutions confer.
His position is firm: African institutions should establish and sustain their own respected awards, with demanding scientific standards. They should not wait for assistance to descend from heaven, or make the celebration of their achievements depend on medals from Western institutions that may never arrive. International recognition remains welcome, but Africa must take responsibility for identifying, supporting and honouring its own excellence.
The choice of Professor N’Guérékata’s name expresses that conviction. Atangana wanted the award to recognise a scientist who has advanced mathematical knowledge while helping others advance in their careers. Naming the distinction after him gives young people an African example of what scientific success can mean: original research, intellectual generosity and a sustained commitment to the next generation.
A career connecting Africa with the wider mathematical world
Born in Paoua in the Central African Republic in 1953, Gaston Mandata N’Guérékata earned his doctorate in mathematics at Université de Montréal in 1980. A Fulbright scholar, he pursued postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley. He is now University Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Morgan State University in Baltimore and Director of NEERLab in its Department of Mathematics.
His early teaching career included Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and the École Polytechnique in Montréal. At Université de Bangui, he became a full professor and held responsibilities as dean, vice-rector and interim rector. He also taught at Daemen College before joining Morgan State in 1996. Visiting appointments took him to Laval, Montréal, SUNY Buffalo and other institutions.
At Morgan, he progressed from lecturer in 1996 to tenured associate professor in 1997, professor in 2003 and University Distinguished Professor in 2017. He served as acting mathematics chair in 2001–2002, chair in 2002–2007, assistant dean in 2007–2009 and 2012–2013, and subsequently associate dean. His visiting professorships also included Delaware, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Beijing Normal University, the University of Science and Technology of China and institutions in the French Antilles.
His public service in the Central African Republic included senior responsibilities in scientific and technical research, as high commissioner and deputy minister, and service as adviser and spokesperson to the head of state. Across these academic and public appointments, his career has connected scholarship with the institutions responsible for education and scientific development.
Research that has shaped an international field
N’Guérékata is particularly recognised for his contributions to almost automorphic functions and their applications to evolution equations. These areas help mathematicians investigate recurrent behaviour and the long-term properties of systems described by differential equations. His research also extends to functional analysis and fractional differential equations.
His books include Topics in Almost Automorphy and Almost Periodic and Almost Automorphic Functions in Abstract Spaces, whose second edition appeared in 2021. They develop mathematical foundations and methods used by researchers studying these equations. His TWAS biography records more than 286 mathematical publications, including 12 books. He has also helped sustain scholarly exchange as a founder and editor of journals devoted to evolution equations.
A Fellow of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), he has delivered invited lectures and keynote addresses across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Morgan State has also reported his inclusion in the Stanford-led citation-based rankings of the world’s top 2 per cent of scientists.
Research that has shaped an international field
N’Guérékata is particularly recognised for his contributions to almost automorphic functions and their applications to evolution equations. These areas help mathematicians investigate recurrent behaviour and the long-term properties of systems described by differential equations. His research also extends to functional analysis and fractional differential equations.
His books include Topics in Almost Automorphy and Almost Periodic and Almost Automorphic Functions in Abstract Spaces, whose second edition appeared in 2021. They develop mathematical foundations and methods used by researchers studying these equations. His TWAS biography records more than 286 mathematical publications, including 12 books. He has also helped sustain scholarly exchange as a founder and editor of journals devoted to evolution equations.
A Fellow of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), he has delivered invited lectures and keynote addresses across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Morgan State has also reported his inclusion in the Stanford-led citation-based rankings of the world’s top 2 per cent of scientists.
Big Hand and the responsibility to open doors
Atangana describes N’Guérékata as “Big Hand”, explaining the expression as “a hand that opens doors for younger ones”. It is a tribute to the professor’s willingness to use his experience and international connections to help younger African scholars progress.
According to Atangana, that support has helped many young Africans complete advanced studies, develop research collaborations and secure academic opportunities around the world. N’Guérékata has supervised and mentored students over many years, maintaining an interest in their progress beyond a single course or research project.
This dimension of his work is also recognised outside ASIAM. The citation accompanying his designation as an AMS Fellow in 2022 acknowledged both his contributions to almost automorphic function theory and his promotion of mathematical opportunities for underrepresented groups. For Atangana, this combination of achievement and generosity explains why the award carries his name.
A message to more than 600 students
At 73, N’Guérékata continues to participate actively in African scientific gatherings and to encourage young people, Atangana noted. During his visit for ACIAM 2026, he addressed a hall of more than 600 students, according to the organisers, urging them to embrace science, technology, engineering and mathematics as tools for Africa’s development.
He also encouraged responsible use of artificial intelligence, placing scientific learning and human judgement at the centre of the discussion. His message to the students was that Africa needs their abilities and their commitment. Atangana described the lecture as an important outreach moment, bringing a senior African scientist into direct conversation with young people considering their futures.
How the laureate was selected
The published award rules admit nominations of African scientists working on the continent or in the diaspora. Nominees must demonstrate original contributions, impact and leadership. A dossier comprises a CV, an account of achievements and recommendation letters; self-nominations and nominations by jury members are excluded. An international panel assesses originality, research relevance and contributions to mathematics in Africa and globally.
According to ASIAM, several nominations were received for this edition. Following their evaluation, the jury, chaired by Professor Atangana, selected Professor Ezzinbi. The 2026 award carries US$5,000 and a Certificate of Excellence.
Khalil Ezzinbi recognised for research and mentorship
Professor Ezzinbi works at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco. His research covers differential and evolution equations, dynamical systems, operator theory and control. His TWAS profile credits him with more than 250 papers, two books and several book chapters, as well as the supervision of more than 40 doctoral students from multiple countries.
His mathematical methods help analyse equations in which the present evolution of a system also depends on its past. Such work supports the study of complex population models, including problems in ecology and epidemiology. It earned him the second TWAS–Mohammad A. Hamdan Award, for 2022. He became a TWAS Fellow in 2025 and is also a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.
Presenting the jury’s assessment, Atangana highlighted Ezzinbi’s original results in applicable mathematics, his publications and his commitment to training master’s and doctoral students across Africa. His record also includes invited and plenary contributions to international conferences. The award recognises a researcher whose influence can be seen both in mathematical results and in the people he has helped train.
Ezzinbi follows Professor Oluwole Daniel Makinde, the inaugural laureate, honoured on 23 November 2024 at ACOMA in Niamey, Niger. Makinde, ASIAM’s Vice-President, was recognised for his contributions to applied mathematics and mathematical education, including work in fluid dynamics and modelling and the mentorship of younger researchers.
A baobab trophy to honour those who help others grow
The trophy’s symbolism also comes from Burkina Faso. Professor Boureima Sangaré, President of ASIAM Burkina Faso and Chair of the Local Organising Committee, proposed the baobab as its model. The choice gives the distinction an African symbol through which to celebrate both scientific stature and service to others.
The African baobab is a familiar tree across many of the continent’s drier regions. Recognisable by its immense trunk and spreading branches, it can live for centuries, providing shade and useful fruits and leaves. Its longevity and the benefits it offers surrounding communities make it a fitting image of resilience, accumulated knowledge and generosity.
In the language of this award, a laureate is a baobab of mathematics: a scholar whose work stands the test of time and whose influence helps others flourish. The image honours the depth of Ezzinbi’s research and the generations he has helped train. It also echoes N’Guérékata’s example: scientific distinction acquires lasting value when knowledge is shared and younger researchers are given room to grow.
An appeal to African governments to reward scientific talent
Atangana called on African governments to give greater priority to STEM, particularly mathematics, and to reward the people who teach, develop and apply it. He argued that public recognition should be accompanied by opportunities to study, undertake research and put scientific ideas to work.
He praised President Ibrahim Traoré’s initiative to recognise young women’s scientific abilities through Burkina Faso’s HAKILI Mousso competition. Its first awards ceremony took place in September 2026. Earlier that year, the government had suspended beauty contests pending new regulations. For Atangana, the promotion of scientific achievement offers a valuable example of the public attention African students deserve.
ASIAM is developing its own Miss Mathematics Africa initiative to celebrate young women’s mathematical talent and encourage wider participation. According to Atangana, the proposal has received strong encouragement from His Excellency Moriba Alain Koné, Ambassador of the Republic of Guinea to South Africa and a member of ASIAM’s Advisory Board.
Atangana paid particular tribute to Ambassador Moriba Alain Koné’s active support for STEM across Africa and to his conviction that scientific education is essential to the continent’s development. He described the ambassador’s encouragement as valuable to ASIAM’s efforts to connect scientific ambition with institutional support. Through his advisory role, Moriba Alain Koné brings a diplomatic perspective to a society seeking stronger cooperation among researchers, universities and public institutions. His support for the proposed competition also affirms that young African women deserve recognition for their intellectual achievement and opportunities to pursue scientific careers.
He urged governments, schools and the media to make scientific achievement more visible, so that young people can see compelling futures in research and innovation alongside the entertainment that dominates much social media. In his view, Africa’s development requires sustained investment in its young people and in the mathematical knowledge on which many technologies depend.
Through this award, ASIAM carries forward N’Guérékata’s example: advancing mathematics while opening doors for the next generation.