'No Winner', A Challenge To African Leaders

The decision by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation not to honour any past African leader with its prestigious $5 million prize this year should be a challenge to African leaders to live up to the high standards of good governance.

A lecturer at the Department of Sociology at the University of Cape Coast, Mr Joseph Kingsley Adjei, who made the remark, said it was imperative for African governments to uphold the principles of the rule of law, accountability, freedom of expression, transparency and human rights in order to measure up to the standard for the award.

Sharing his thoughts on the outcome of this year’s award, he disagreed with suggestions that the criteria for the award were too high, considering the difficult circumstances of many African countries with respect to good governance practices.

“In Africa, we tend to celebrate mediocrity,” he remarked, adding, “We will forever remain in a world which only touts democracy if we continue to hold on to such mentality.”

The Mo Ibrahim laureates are selected by an independent prize committee which assesses all eligible candidates on their exercise of leadership during their time in office.

Currently in its third year, the award is given to a democratically elected leader from sub-Saharan Africa who finished serving his/her term and left office.

The former Mozambican President, Joachim Chissano, won the maiden prize in 2007, with the former President of Bostwana, Felix Mogae, winning the second edition.

Former Presidents J.A. Kufuor, Thabo Mbeki and Olusegun Obasanjo of Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria, respectively, were in the reckoning for this year’s award but none of them was found worthy of the crown.

The Sudanese magnate, Mo Ibrahim, who instituted the award, was quoted as saying that “the no award” this year was “no issue of disrespect” to the distinguished frontliners.

Mr Adjei said although the nominees might have done things deserving of the prize, the award committee was probably cautious in conferrring honours on any of them because there might have been some shortcomings that might reduce their qualification for the prize.

He said President Kufuor, for instance, performed well in good governance but after leaving office the processes put in place by the new government, such as the Ghana@50 probe, had taken the shine off of his track record.

He said if Mr Kufuor were rewarded now and later negative things emerged from the Ghana@50 probe, many people would raise questions about the rationale for the award.

Mr Adjei said regarding Mr Mbeki, he could not be given the award considering the manner in which he tried to prevent Mr Jacob Zuma from contesting the presidency.

He said Mr Obasanjo also fell short of the critera because after leaving office he had been the subject of many investigations.

He said giving the prize to any of those nominees would have portrayed the Mo Ibrahim Foundation as being insensitive to the plight of the people.

Mr Adjei said if by next year the nominees had been cleared, they could be in a better position to win the award.

He dismissed suggestions that the award was not given to anyone because Mo Ibrahim was “broke”, pointing out that the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) did not honour anyone as Journalist of the Year 2007 not because the sponsors of the award were ‘broke’ but because the association did not find anyone worthy of the honour.

Mr Adjei said the Mo Ibrahim award had, to some extent, had a positive impact on good governance in Africa because it had made some African leaders to rethink their policies in order to raise the flag of good governance.

On the other hand, he said, irrespective of whatever award that was put on place, there were some African leaders who would not repent and consider themselves as apostles of good governance.

Story : Kofi Yeboah