The David Hopper Prizes for Leadership in Research for Development are awards for outstanding achievement in the field of international development, bestowed in memory of IDRC's first president.

The prizes are intended to recognize two individuals for whom IDRC support has been foundational to their careers and whose sustained original thought and leadership have led to significant positive societal impact within a development context.

Established on the occasion of the IDRC's 50th anniversary, this award is a reminder that the UCA has always striven, since its inception, for excellence, both in its training programs and research on priority themes that put sustainable development at the heart of its concerns, according to a statement by Cadi Ayyad University.

Hakkou is, without a doubt, one of the researchers strongly committed to this action. In recognition of his world-class work, this professor had already received, in 2015, the Hassan II Prize for the Environment in the category "Scientific and Technical Research", the statement added.

Thanks to this support, Professor Hakkou has become an internationally recognized researcher in the field of recycling and valorization of mining waste.

According to the Scopus database, he is ranked among the Top 10 researchers with the highest number of publications in this field.