Former President Goodluck Jonathan has failed to clinch this year’s prestigious $5 million Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation Awards instituted in 2006 by Sudanese telecoms entrepreneur, Mo Ibrahim, rewards former African leaders who demonstrated sterling qualities while in office. However, the seven-man panel said in a statement that no African leader leader met the requirements for the 2015 version of the yearly award.
The prize is given as a reward to democratically elected ex-leaders who left office in the last three years; served their constitutionally mandated term; and demonstrated exceptional leadership.
The prize also “showcases unsung heroes of the African continent; recognises African leaders who have dedicated their tenure of office to developing their countries, improving the welfare and livelihoods of their people and paving the way for sustainable development; offers opportunities for leaders who have left national office to continue in other public roles across the continent; encourages the engagement of African citizens in the leadership debate.”
The award is also “a standard for excellence in leadership in Africa, and not a ‘first prize’, there is not necessarily a Laureate every year,” the foundation said.
Apart from Jonathan, who left office in May 2015, another former African leader who quit in the last three years is Yayi Boni of Benin Republic.
A winner enjoys $5m over 10 years and another $200,000 yearly for life. A winner can also ask for another $200,000 for good causes he or she supports.
So far, only the former presidents of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano; Botswana’s Festus Mogae; Namibia’s Hifikepunye Pohamba; and Pedro Piers of Cape Verde have clinched the award.
Ex-South African President Nelson Mandela was awarded an honorary prize in 2007
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