Could Do Better… 2009 Mo Ibrahim Prize not awarded

The message is clear. African leaders have to clean up their act.
It is remarkable and disappointing that in the year a new kid came to the block and snagged the Nobel Peace Prize without apparently even trying, not one among the multitude of Africa’s tired old relics came within a whiff of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for good governance. To be fair, the terms of reference of the Nobel Prize are somewhat more relaxed. According to the old man’s will, the prize may be awarded to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” So anyone or indeed, anything for that matter can get it just by going through the right motions. But even so, there were some years when the prize could not be awarded, especially during the periodic episodes of madness that overtook European leaders, plunging humanity into world wars. But in peace time, the committee had always found someone or some organization that could pass muster. Africans have even been awardees, for chrissakes.

But this year, the Mo Ibrahim Prize Committee found no one fit enough to merit the African Leadership Prize. Mind you, conditions for award are rather tighter than for the Nobel; I paraphrase here: “Eligible candidates must be former executive heads of state or government in any sub-Saharan African state who have taken office through democratic elections and who have left office in the previous three years, having served the constitutional term as stipulated when taking office. They must also have governed well enough for their country to have a decent standing in the Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance.”

So, for the year 2008, not one of the retiring leaders fulfilled the criteria as laid down by the committee. Neither John Kuffor nor Thabo Mbeki was apparently up to scratch. Both of these gentlemen had been deemed the front runners, but not even one of the 10 or so of the other leaders who stepped down between 2006 and 2008 got off the blocks.

We need not need to despair, however. This is a chance to encourage our leaders to do better. They just have to try harder.

Tell Fren Tru