Upon selling his share in Celtel International, the African telecommunications company he founded in the 1990s, Mo Ibrahim set his focus (and money) on more philanthropic efforts on the continent. He established the Mo Ibrahim Foundation that works to harness good governance in Africa through their very comprehensive Ibrahim Index, which assesses government practices, and the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, which rewards democratically elected African leaders whom have exhibited outstanding service to their countries and have not overstayed their term in office.

The Foundation announced on Monday that former Cape Verde president, Pedro Verona Pires, has been selected as this year’s winner. The Prize consists of $5 million over the course of 10 years, and $200,000 per year thereafter until death. Past recipients include former president of Mozambique, Joaquim Alberto Chissano in 2007 and former president of Botswana, Festus Gontebanye Mogae in 2008. 2009 and 2010 were rough years as no one made the cut. Interesting.

The objective of the Prize is three fold: to reward responsible leaders, inspire up-and-coming good leaders to pursue political office, and encourage former leaders to invest in distinguishable causes on the continent after leaving office. The selection committee (prominent people such as Kofi Annan and the former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, sit on this committee) will consider granting an additional $200,000 per year, for ten years, “towards public interest activities and good causes espoused by the winner.”

Because it is a substantial amount of cash, the Prize has been discussed with unmasked skepticism. Many question whether a reward of this magnitude (the largest annually awarded prize in the world) is the appropriate approach to “good governance” in Africa. Critics also argue that there is no monetary value that can dissuade greedy crooks from dipping their hands into state coffers (even though Ibrahim has specifically said that he is not in the business of buying off crooks), and that there are too many other causes in Africa that are more readily in need of financial aid to the tune of $5 million.

While these are legitimate concerns, consider this: Ibrahim’s largest asset seems to be his uncanny ability to envision global currents. In 1974, decades before its time, Ibrahim wrote his doctoral thesis on mobile telecommunications (cell phones in ’74?!). When cell phones hit a boom in the 1990s, investors had a hey-day in Western markets, but Ibrahim took his business to Africa in what later became one of the continent’s largest telecommunications network. When he established Celtel International in 1998 to work exclusively in Africa, there were just 2 million cell phones on the continent, when he sold it seven years later there were more than 100 million. Ibrahim’s vision garnered him a spot on Time Magaizine’s “World’s Top 100 Most Influential People” list in 2008. Given his track record for remarkable foresight, this Prize might actually start a trend of responsible leaders who stimulate good governance.

While the Prize’s “reasonability” is vulnerable to debate, ultimately, it is most important that the debate is taking place. The Prize has drawn attention from commentators in Africa and abroad who have subsequently engaged in a dialogue about good governance in Africa. In many ways, the Prize is not about the monetary award as much as it is about the discussion created because of it.
- Allison Swank