The $5 million prize for excellence in African leadership, established by billionaire Mo Ibrahim has swerved all past African leaders this year again.
The $5-million prize is supposed to be awarded each year to a democratically elected African leader who showed excellent leadership and a commitment to good governance, and who has voluntarily left office.
But in six years of the prize, there have been only three winners. This year the prize committee again said no candidate had met all of the tough criteria.
"If we say, 'we're going to have a prize for exceptional leadership,' we have to stick to that. We are not going to compromise," Ibrahim said, announcing the news at a press conference in London.
"We're not saying, every year we have to find somebody," he added.
The $5-million award is given over 10 years followed by $200,000 a year for life.
The monetary award serves to encourage leaders of African countries to leave office after their terms expire, and build positive legacies on the continent instead of trying to hang onto power.
Previous winners of the prize are Botswana's President Festus Mogae and Mozambique's Joaquim Chissano.
Cape Verde's former president, Pedro Verona Pires, won the 2011 prize after a two-year drought.
The prize committee last year hailed Pires' role in transforming Cape Verde, an archipelago of 500,000 people off West Africa and a former Portuguese colony, from single-party autocracy to multi-party democracy.
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and a member of the Ibrahim foundation's board, said it was "inspiring" that three winners had been found.
"Speaking as a European, I don't think in six years we would necessarily have three European leaders who would qualify," she said during the announcement Monday.
Monday, 15 October 2012
No winner of 2012 Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership
source: citifmonline
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