I guess I can rightly consider myself a “laureate” of reporting the first Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, awarded to former executive heads of state or government. I reported for state-owned “Daily News” the prize’s award ceremony in Alexendria, Egypt in 2007 when it first went to former Mozambican President, Joachim Chissano.
Since then, there have been six other Mo Ibrahim Presidential Prize laureates, including Nelson Mandela (Honorary), 2007, (South Africa), Festus Mogae, 2008, (Botswana), Pedro Pires, 2011, (Cabo Verde), Hifikepunye Pohamba, 2014, (Namibia), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 2017, (Liberia) and Mahamadou Issoufou, 2020, (Niger).
Criteria for the prize, dollars 5.0 million over 10 years and dollars 200,000 annually thereafter for life, included that a president must have left office at least for three years, was democratically elected, served his/her constitutionally mandated term, and had demonstrated exceptional leadership. That there has been no winner since 2020, speaks volumes for the kind of leadership in Africa.
Alternatively, it could be that the money is hardly motivational given that dollars five million is something that a seating head of state could easily make with just a single stroke of the pen. According to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, “the prize had the potential to change perceptions of African leadership by showcasing exceptional role models from the continent.”
Adds the Foundation: “The significance of the prize lies not only with its winners but also with the conversation around leadership that it generates.” There can be no doubt that by coming up with the prize, (as a solution), Mo Ibrahim and his Foundation, had clearly determined that top leadership in Africa was a major problem.
The question to ask therefore is; some 20 years down the lane since the first recipient, does Mo Ibrahim and his Foundation still think the same and therefore, the prize is still relevant? I stand to be corrected but I beg to differ. I have no doubt in my mind that the primary aim of the prize, was to create a stable ground for Africa’s development. In other words, the purpose was man and not necessarily, the presidents.
In any case, as one of Africa’s most celebrated businessmen himself, Mo Ibrahim must also reevaluate his Return On Investment (ROI). Although not intended to be an annual takeaway, the fact that there has been no winner of the prize money in the last five years, surely calls for a change of tact and direction.
