In her autobiography published in August 2019, she stresses the need to invest in STEM education in African youth.

Her recent articles and talks allude to the potential for economic growth and international investment in Africa, contrary to the narratives that have traditionally been associated with the continent.

Gurib-Fakim and Landry Signé wrote the following in Project Syndicate in August 2019: “Agriculture (including agribusiness), projected to be a $1 trillion USD industry in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, is attracting a growing amount of private-sector investment. Africa is also expected to receive almost $2 trillion in investment in natural resources by 2036.

A founding Member of the Pan African Association of African Medicinal Plants, Gurib-Fakim has authored and/or co-edited 28 books, book chapters, and scientific articles on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, including co-authoring the first African Herbal Pharmacopoeia.

In 2018, she wrote an article for The Guardian on the baobab, Africa’s ‘tree of life’, which is becoming an endangered species due to climate change and human development.

Source: TED

Gurib-Fakim has received five honorary doctorate degrees in science, and was elected Fellowships by the Linnean Society of London, Islamic Academy of Science in Jordan, the African Institute of Science & Technology, and the African Academy of Sciences.

She has received both national and international awards from the Royal Society of Chemistry, CTA/NEPAD/AGRA/RUFORUM, African Union, L’Oréal-UNESCO, and the National Economic and Social Council of Mauritius. Foreign Policy named her one of 100 Global Thinkers in 2015.

The French government named Gurib-Fakim to the Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Palmes Academiques in 2009. Upon her presidency, former President Anerood Jugnauth elected her as Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (CSK), the highest civilian award in Mauritius.

Gurib-Fakim continues to advocate for opportunity and growth in Mauritius, spread awareness of the effects climate change, and promote investments in science and technology in Africa.

Recently, she became Associate Editor of Frontiers in Ethnopharmacology, which lauded how her political experience has facilitated the translation of research into health benefits on a global scale.

Gurib-Fakim lives in Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius with her husband and two children.

You can follow her on Twitter @aguribfakim and on Facebook at facebook.com/aguribfakim.