Honouring Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker: A legacy of humanitarian service
Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, the visionary founder and former CEO of Iqraa Trust at his farewell event.
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Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, the visionary founder and former CEO of Iqraa Trust, bid a heartfelt farewell to his colleagues and friends at a ceremony held in Durban on Saturday.
The gathering was more than a ceremony; it was a tribute to his legacy, marking his poignant return to his native Egypt. Baker's relationship with South Africa started more than 30 years ago, when he was requested by his boss the late Sheikh Saleh Kamel, founder of Saudi Albaraka group to travel from London to South Africa to help establish Albaraka Bank in South Africa.
Accordingly, Baker started to visit South Africa regularly. In addition to this, Baker was working and moving between about 30 countries worldwide as an economic advisor but after 20 years he decided to settle in South Africa to realise his dream of dedicating the rest of his life to serve humanity.
Yakoob Paruk, Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, MS Paruk and Shabir Chohan.
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That marked the birth of Iqraa Trust, a humanitarian organisation dedicated to serving humanity and promoting education in South Africa.
“Using Iqraa Trust as a vehicle to achieve all of this, over the past three decades and under my leadership, I, together with my management team and Trustees financially supported more than 1 600 organisations and thousands of students throughout the country.
“I was eager not only to provide financial support but also to guide, motivate, and personally mentor students with the potential to excel in their fields. Among these students, two are currently studying at Harvard University, where I played a key role in assisting them to get admissions,” Baker explained.
Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker.
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He added that five years ago, he also established the Iqraa Trust Knowledge Centre which is located at the Hunt Road Secondary School on Hunt Road in Glenwood.
Through this facility many educational and training programmes in Mathematics, Science, Coding and Robotics are offered free of charge to young learners to help them develop essential skills in addition to their academic qualifications. The Centre also hosts numerous governance workshops and other programmes organised by partner organisations.
On Saturday, Iqraa Trust held a farewell function to honour Baker at the Iqraa Trust Knowledge Centre. The event was attended by many of his colleagues from various universities, heads of organisations, management teams of some Trustees and close friends.
Mbali Mkhize, Philani Mazibuko, Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, Fawzia Peer and Zama Sishi.
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Tributes and heartfelt speeches were delivered by Baker's lifelong friends including Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Dr Bassiouni and Qari Basheer, directors of Al Tawheed WAQF NPC in Johannesburg; Shabir Chohan, Trustee of the Iqraa Trust and CEO of Albaraka Bank; Advocate Mohammed Vahed, director of the Young Leaders Academy; Shaikh Mohamed Elhaddad, representing the An Nur Islamic Centre in Cape Town; attorney Aslam Mayat; Professor Mohamed Mostafa, representing the UKZN School of Engineering; PB Mkhize, principal of Hunt Road Secondary School; Professor Jairam Reddy, Trustee of the Dennis Hurley Centre; and Zama Sishi, director at the Mangosuthu University of Technology.
The speakers talked about their experiences with Baker and his dedication to humanity which was practically translated into financially assisting thousands of students and organisations in South Africa. The speakers wished Baker well in his retirement and mentioned that even though he will leave South Africa his legacy will remain.
In his farewell speech, Baker said he owes South Africa a lot and is so grateful to this country that helped him create meaning in his life.
Professor Mohsin Ebrahim, Dr Mahmoud Youssef Baker, Dr Mohamed Solwa, Professor Mohamed Mostafa and Dr Mohamed Khan.
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He also spoke about the status of the political economy of South Africa, stating that “the foundation of the South African economy is strong and all factors of production are healthy except the way we manage them that is why we have low economic growth, poverty, high unemployment, and crime”.
“These problems are the product of mismanagement and corruption,” he said.
Baker stated that the challenges confronting South Africa are complicated and deeply rooted, and no single entity can solve them without collaboration between government, business sector, civil society, political parties and the public.
“All these entities must work together under dedicated and ethical leadership, and when this happens South Africa will be one of the richest countries in the world,” Baker said.