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Borrowing a leaf from Chissano`s leadership prize
2007-10-24 09:12:13
By Editor
Joaquim Chissano, the former president of Mozambique, was announced Monday the first recipient of a new, high-profile prize to reward exemplary leadership by recently-retired African heads of government.
The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership is the brainchild of Sudanese-born telecommunications mogul Mo Ibrahim, whose foundation earlier this year launched the `Ibrahim Index of African Governance`.
The index is taken into account in adjudicating the prize.
Chissano will bag home USD500, 000 (£245,000) per year for ten years, and USD200, 000 (£98,000) per year thereafter, for life....towards activities and causes identified by Chissano. The prize exceeds the Nobel Peace Prize in value.
When Ibrahim announced the prize last year, he said the message was that it was time for Africa to take charge of its issues, taking responsibility to look after our continent, and its kids.
Chissano had taken office in 1994, leading a country whose infrastructure and economy were ruined, its society deeply divided and which suffered from severe natural disasters. He truly showed zero tolerance on corruption.
Definitely, his most outstanding contribution was to lead Mozambique from conflict to peace and democracy.
It was a measure of the remarkable change that has taken place that national and regional elections in Mozambique have been contested in a generally peaceful manner by both sides in the bitter civil war.
This amazing reconciliation between opponents provides a shining example to the rest of the world and Africa in particular, and is testament to both his strength of character of his leadership.
Undeniably, Mozambique`s economy had been one of Africa`s emerging success stories, although it was still one of the world`s poorest countries, poverty levels had fallen, more children were being educated, health care had improved and women had been empowered.
During his regime, solid efforts had been made to rebuild hospitals and schools destroyed during the prolonged civil war.
By all comparisons, the government showed strong leadership in trying to tackle the HIV/ Aids epidemic, thus expediting country’s course towards attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
All eleven former presidents who left office in Africa in 2004, 2005 or 2006 were automatically eligible for consideration.
To quote from the prize committee’s citation: “President Chissano`s achievements in bringing peace, reconciliation, stable democracy and economic progress to his country greatly impressed the committee. So, too, did his decision to step down without seeking the third term the constitution allowed.`
Even when former UN Secretary General Koffi Annan was announcing Chissano as winner, he could not show up as he was busy in northern Uganda negotiating peace with LRA`s rebel leader Joseph Kony!
He truly stands as one of Africa`s greatest sons in his retirement, as he cuts an `elder statesman` image to be often called upon by bodies like the United Nations to be an envoy or negotiator.
Diplomats close to Chissano credit him with being a major player in the search for peace in southern Africa and beyond, due to his charisma to agree to compromise and negotiate, this again being a great strength which has helped Mozambique become a stable, modernizing, democratic country.
When the BBC correspondent Mark Doyle asked Chissano last week what he would you do with the money, he replied that he would live better, and of course he would not be shy to just do that as one of the rarest but decent retired African president!
And we in Tanzania sincerely take pride in Chissano`s achievement, as the man we groomed eventually became a revolutionary and great leader.
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