Diebedo Francis Kere is first African to win Pritzker architecture prize

A file photo of Kere in 2017 at the unveiling of his newly installed Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in Kensington Gardens, west London. Photo: Niklas Halle'n/AFP

The Pritzker Prize, architecture's most prestigious award, was awarded yesterday (March 15) to Burkina Faso-born architect Diebedo Francis Kere – the first African to win the honour in its more than 40-year history.

Kere, 56, was hailed for his "pioneering" designs that are "sustainable to the earth and its inhabitants – in lands of extreme scarcity," Tom Pritzker, chairman of the Hyatt Foundation that sponsors the award, said in a statement.