Mo Ibrahim leadership prize standards are attainable

By SALIM AHMED SALIM

This is in reference to the article by Alex Kiprotich entitled Why Mo would rather invest in poor Africans, published in the Standard on Sunday of June 13.

I would like to draw your attention to the criteria for eligibility for the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership which is awarded to a democratically elected former African executive Head of State or Government who has served their term in office within the limits set by the country’s constitution and has left office in the last three years.

Therefore, all candidates are eligible for a full three years from their departure from office. The average term length of four/five years in African countries necessitates that there will not be new candidates each year for this annual prize. It is not the case that we have Presidents retiring each year to consider for the Prize.

Comprehensive assessment

In addition, the Prize was awarded for the first two years to former Presidents Chissano and Festus Mogae of Mozambique and Botswana respectively. Therefore, the standards set by the Prize Committee are clearly not unattainable for African leaders.

This year in particular, the Prize Committee noted that there have been no new candidates leaving office since the last announcement. In addition there have been no changes in circumstance that warrant the Committee revising its position from last year.

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has been established to stimulate debate, and improve the quality of governance in Africa. The Foundation is working on a number of initiatives towards these objectives, including the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which is a comprehensive assessment of governance quality in Africa.

Part of the Foundation’s considerations at this time are about the best way in which to tackle the governance challenges facing Africa.

To this end, this year the Foundation has announced its continuing commitment to spending the resources earmarked for the Prize on other initiatives.

One of these projects, the Ibrahim Fellowship Programmes, announced on June 13, are designed to identify and prepare the next generation of outstanding African leaders by providing them with mentoring opportunities in key multilateral institutions.

It is through these Fellowships, the Ibrahim Index, the Scholarship Programmes as well as the Prize that the Foundation aims to make a lasting impact on the governance environment in Africa.

The writer is a Member of the Board and Prize Committee of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.