Ex-Mozambique leader wins African governance prize

Katarina Kratovac

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — Mozambique’s former president was honored Monday by Africa’s elite with a prize of more than $5 million designed to promote good governance in a continent often blighted by misrule.

Joaquim Chissano, who ruled Mozambique for 18 years and lead the country out of a devastating civil war, received the first Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.

The award surpasses the Nobel prizes in the amount of individual prize money, but it has been criticized as unlikely to dissuade African rulers from corruption and repression.

“I know only too well how much still needs to be done to uplift my country and the continent,” said Chissano, who was named the winner last month and honored in a ceremony Monday. “I look forward to using the prize to do all I can to promote good governance in a continent that is changing rapidly for the better.”

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who presented the award, said good governance was essential for progress in Africa, often perceived as a “concentration of failures.”

“Africa faces enormous challenges, but this is our continent; we must not, we cannot leave it to others,” he said.

The prize is awarded by a foundation created by Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-born billionaire who founded the African telecommunications company Celtel International.

The prize awards $5 million over the first 10 years to the winner and $200,000 each year for life thereafter, with an optional $200,000 a year if the winner supports post-office initiatives.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela said in a recorded video message broadcast at the ceremony that he hoped the award would “encourage a new generation of African leaders to follow” Chissano’s example.

Mandela was declared an honorary laureate at the ceremony. The amount of prize money awarded to Mandela was not made public, but organizers said it was “substantial” and in the range of Chissano’s award.

Chissano, who voluntarily relinquished power in 2004 after having twice been elected, was known for his gentle nature, which earned him the nickname “Maria” at home. He brokered a lasting peace after Mozambique’s postcolonial civil war and oversaw the African nation’s transition from Marxism to a free market economy.

Winners of the award must have been elected and left office voluntarily. The prize is intended to be awarded annually, but according to prize rules, it can be withheld if the selection committee does not believe any candidate deserves it.

(Associated Press)