World leaders congratulate Sir Adjaye on RIBA Gold Medal award

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Barack Obama, Thabo Mbeki and Paul Kagame were among world leaders who congratulated Sir David Adjaye OBE after he received the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 2021 Royal Gold Medal on May 26, 2021, in Accra.

Adjaye formally received the 2021 gong in Accra from the UK’s high commissioner to Ghana, Iain Walker, on behalf of the Queen – with four current and former presidents joining an online ceremony to praise the architect’s achievements.

Former US president Barack Obama said Adjaye was a ‘kindred spirit’, describing the architect's design for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington as ‘genius, pure and simple’.

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And U2 singer Bono, with whom Adjaye collaborated for AIDS charity (RED), referenced his own lyrics when he said: ‘David is a great man, his work, however dark some of the themes, it just seems to be shot through with light and framed around light.’

Mr Adjaye, the first black architect to win the RIBA Gold Medal in its 172-year history, was also thanked by African leaders for his contribution to architecture and advocacy of the continent.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuko-Addo said he was ‘very proud of knowing’ Adjaye, adding that he is ‘clearly a very important influence and impact on architecture’ and ‘continues to bring renown and glory to our country through his work’.

Adjaye was also thanked by Rwandan president Paul Kagame, who said his designs were "strikingly beautiful, but also deeply embedded in local history and culture". "We appreciate your extraordinary achievements in architecture […] your work connects Africa to the world, and the world to Africa," he said.

Former South African president, Thabo Mbeki said he was proud that "the RIBA […] is for the very first time recognising a fellow African as an outstanding architect".