Mo Ibrahim ‘Snubs’ Mahama

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation says there is no winner of the 2016 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.

The announcement, which was made in London yesterday, followed a meeting of the independent Prize Committee, chaired by Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's Board meeting last week-end.

This is the second time in succession that African leaders have failed to meet the criteria set for the award, which comes with a whopping $5 million prize, which payment is spread over ten years and $200,000 per year for life thereafter.

This means Ghana's immediate past president, John Dramani Mahama, who qualifies for the award and other colleague African Heads of State who have just left office all failed to meet the strict standards.

The award itself recognises and celebrates African executive leaders who, under challenging circumstances, have developed their countries and strengthened democracy and human rights for the shared benefit of their people, paving the way for sustainable and equitable prosperity.

It also highlights exceptional role models for the continent, ensures that the African continent continues to benefit from the experience and wisdom of exceptional leaders once they have left national office, by enabling them to continue in other public roles on the continent, among others.

In 2008, many Ghanaians thought President Kufuor was on his way to winning the award, having championed the rule of law and also playing important roles in international politics. Apart from respecting the rule of law, President Kufuor also took Ghana into Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) and brought her back within record time, which was an envy to his peers, but he missed the boat.

President Mahama was also eying the award, having successfully helped his colleague Heads of State to fight the Ebola disease that struck West Africa.

He allowed the international community to use Ghana as a base for the distribution of materials to the Ebola stricken countries at the time many of his colleagues were refusing to get themselves involved.

Just recently, the African Leadership Magazine (ALM), based in South Africa, also awarded the immediate past president of Ghana for his contribution towards deepening and enriching Ghana's democracy and his towering status as one of Africa's best.

The ALM Person of the Year Award is aimed at keeping with a tradition of presenting the positive sides of the African continent, which hardly finds space on the global stage.

It will also celebrate exemplary leadership and individuals who have contributed to shaping the global perception of the African continent.

In awarding President Mahama, the Chairman of the International Advisory board of the ALM Awards, Ambassador Joe Beasley noted, “it is gratifying to know that Africa still has leaders like you bestriding the political space.”

This, among others, made President Mahama a strong candidate for the Mo Ibrahim award, but like other countries, many financial scandals rocked his administration, including Woyome, GYEEDA and the bus branding saga among a host of others.

The Chronicle cannot, however, confirm whether some of these scandals went against him.

Commenting on the decision of the Prize Committee, Dr. Salim said: “As I emphasise each year, a very high bar was deliberately set when the Prize was launched in 2006.

We recognise and applaud the important contributions that many African leaders have made to change their countries for the better.

But the Prize is intended to highlight and celebrate truly exceptional leadership, which is uncommon by its very definition. After careful consideration, the Committee has decided not to award the Prize in 2016.”

The candidates for the Ibrahim Prize are all former African executive Heads of State or Government who have left their office during the last three calendar years (2014-2016), having been democratically elected and served their constitutionally mandated term.

Since being launched in 2006, the Ibrahim Prize has been awarded four times. The previous Laureates are President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia (2014), President Pedro Pires of Cape Verde (2011), President Festus Mogae of Botswana (2008) and President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique (2007).

Nelson Mandela was the inaugural Honorary Laureate in 2007.

The Foundation looks forward to hosting its flagship event, the Ibrahim Governance Weekend, in Marrakech, Morocco, from 7th to 9th April 2017. The event will open on the Friday evening with a high-profile discussion titled: “A Conversation on Leadership”, looking at the challenges of global leadership in the 21st century.

By Emmanuel Akli.