Words Helen Jennings
Pedro Verona Pires, the former President of Cape Verde, was announced as the recipient of the 2011 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership today.
As the winner of the largest annual prize in the world, Pires will receive US$5million over 10 years and US$200,000 a year for life. The foundation will also consider allocating further funds to good causes chosen by Pires for the next decade.
At a press conference at City Hall in London, chair of the prize committee Salim Ahmed Salim, former Prime Minister of Tanzania, praised Pires for transforming his country into a “model of democracy, stability and increased prosperity”.
Pires guided Cape Verde through independence and became prime minister in 1975. He oversaw the first democratic elections in 1991, during which he lost office. He was elected president in 2001, was re-elected in 2006 and a year later Cape Verde became only the second African nation to graduate from the United Nation’s Least Developed category to middle income (the other being Botswana).
Salim added: “Throughout his long career President Pires has been dedicated to the service of his people, including those in the diaspora, while retaining his humility and personal integrity”.
The Ibrahim Prize is awarded to a former democratically elected African executive head of state or government who has demonstrated excellence in leadership and left office under the term limits set by the country’s constitution. Its previous winners are President Nelson Mandela (honorary), President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique and President Festus Mogae of Botswana. The prize has not been given to anyone for the past two years, making the 2011 Laureate announcement all the more anticipated.
Today’s conference also marked the fifth anniversary of Mo Ibrahim Foundation and revealed the results of the 2011 Ibrahim Index of African Governance, a comprehensive statistical assessment of governance in every African country. Its four pillars are: safety and rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human development. Or, as founder Mo Ibrahim put it: “Is there food on the table? Can our kids go to school? Is there a health care system? Can our daughters walk the streets safely? Can we speak our minds without going to prison?”
Mauritius, Cape Verde, Botswana, Seychelles and South Africa top the 2011 Index, while Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Chad and Somalia are at the bottom. Liberia and Sierra Leone have made the biggest improvements, ranked 30 and 36 respectively, while at 33, Madagascar has seen the biggest decline.
“This year the main picture is that of sustainable economic growth – the world financial crisis has hardly affected Africa,” Ibrahim said. “But there has been a stagnation and reversal in citizen rights, human rights and participation. Leaders must balance the agenda. Look at Egypt and Tunis. A lot of young people are really educated but have no human rights or jobs…. Africa’s young majority are no longer willing to stand for the selective approach to governance adopted by many of our continent’s governments. We [the Index] are not in the business of interfering or changing governments. It is the duty of the citizens to decide.”
For more information visit www.moibrahimfoundation.org/index