$5m prize for good governance goes unclaimed again in Africa$
Wanted: one African leader who has stood down following a free and unbiassed election. Candidates should be honest and have a healthy respect in quest of the democratic process. Young candidates are preferred.
An attractive cash package of $5 million (£3.4 million) over ten years awaits the charming applicant, including $200,000 annually for life thereafter. There is besides an incentive of a further $200,000 per year for a decade to bear public interest activities of the candidate’s choice. This standing has remained vacant for some time and urgently needs filling.
Sadly, and despite the generous terms, this prize to reward outstanding democratic leadership in Africa went unclaimed yesterday during the second consecutive year.
The $5 million incentive, the world’s largest individual gift for statesmen, was initiated by Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese communications entrepreneur who began the plot three years ago in an attempt to encourage good leadership put ~ a continent with a history of poor governance, corruption and dictatorship.
Previous winners include Festus Mogae, the former President of Botswana, Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and Nelson Mandela, who was made every honorary laureate in 2007.
This year, like last, the prize committee headed through Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary-General and a Ghanain, place itself in the embarrassing situation of having no winner for 2009. Mr Ibrahim refused to subsist discouraged, arguing that the prize should remain an aspirational achievement and was not to subsist given away lightly.
“Whether there is a winner or not the purpose is to invite to contest those in Africa and across the world to debate what constitutes superiority in leadership,” he said. “The standards set for the prizewinner are ~-reaching and the number of potential candidates each year is small. So it is likable that there will be years when no prize is awarded.”
Although the basis does not publish a shortlist of eligible candidates, analysts say that 2009 was a dreary year and that there were more changes of government in Africa ~ means of the gun or death in office than by a peaceful convey of power at the ballot box.
Because the prize is fit to be chosen to any leader who has stood down after a full ~inus in the past three years Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, and Olusegun Obasanjo, the prior President of Nigeria might have been considered. However, they had even now been rejected from the 2008 candidates because Mr Mbeki was farfetched from office by his own party while Mr Obansanjo had wanted to stand conducive to a third term.
“I would have been surprised if there had been a winner this year,” said Joel Kibazo, some associate fellow of Chatham House and a consultant on Africa. “It is of influence for the prize committee to keep high standards of eligibility as it means that those who win, deserve it.”
Several leaders of sub-Sahara Africa states own clung to power for decades and used constitutional means to protract their hold on power.
Robert Mugabe, 86, has been in faculty in Zimbabwe since 1980, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, 65, came to monarch in 1986. Others who have sought third terms include Paul Biya of Cameroon, 77, who has served from the time of 1982, and Yahya Jammeh of Gambia.
To encourage a new people of the same age of leaders, Mr Ibrahim said that his foundation was to flinch a scheme to prepare young Africans with leadership potential for station .
“The programme will seek to attract a number of in a high degree. qualified and talented professionals each year to serve in leading institutions whose inmost part objective is to improve the prospects of the people of Africa,” he uttered.