Prize for African Good Leadership is Bad Leadership
By Steve Paterno
October 27, 2008 — When it comes to leadership rating, Africa fares the worst, with the entire continent virtually ruled by dictators or leaders who tolerate democratic principles only when such principles keep them in power. However, one man, Dr. Mohamed “Mo” Ibrahim, a Sudanese native set to change all that by instituting prize in real time cash rewards to recognize good African leadership qualities and encourage good governance. Under the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, an elected African head of state who transforms the country to prosperity and transfers power democratically is eligible for the prize. The prize consists of a whopping five million US dollars dished out over ten year period and extra 200,000 US dollars, paid annually for life. This is unprecedented in its scope, given that the Nobel Peace Prize, considered to be the world’s largest prize, pays less.
Many renowned world leaders back the Mo Ibrahim initiative. Mo Ibrahim calls it an African initiative by African using African money to solve African problems. Nelson Mandela believes the initiative will “stimulate public debate and challenge the continent’s leaders to set the global benchmark” for good leadership. Kofi Annan, who is a member of the Board of Mo Ibrahim Foundation, expects the initiative to “contribute to the growing movement to build honest and enlightened African leadership.” Bill Clinton sees “Africa helping itself” in this Mo Ibrahim initiative. And, Tony Blair supports the initiative because it “encourages exemplary leadership.” All these claims are yet to be seen.
As for Mo Ibrahim, he is not new in making audacious efforts that could have significant impact. His quest to exert impact started in his native Sudan, when at one point as a youngster; he was intrigued by radio communication operated by the taxi driver. Out of curiosity, Ibrahim asked the taxi driver, “how does the signal reach the car without direct line of sight?” This curiosity becomes the central focus of Ibrahim education where he ended up earning several degrees to the level of Ph.D. in pursuit of his curiosity.
By late 1980s, Ibrahim left a successful career with the British Telecommunications and established his own consulting firm, the Mobile Systems International (MSI). MSI was later renamed, Celtel, becoming the first mobile phone operator to ever penetrate African market. Against all the advice that Africa is not a good place for investment, Ibrahim went ahead with his company established traction in Africa. He is credited for the mobile phone revolution in Africa, the Dark Continent of Henry Morton Stanley and Dr. David Livingstone. When Mo Ibrahim started his company, there were only two million mobile phones in the continent and by the time he sold his company, the number of mobile phones reached 100 million. To date, the continent remains to be the only place where mobile phones out-numbered landline phones. In Britain, Ibrahim is honored among the top Blacks of significant influence with a personal wealth valued at five billion US dollars.
These days, Ibrahim is turning his business successes into political effort to bring about positive changes at a large scale. However, it seems he veered into more treacherous territory than the one he has been successful in. It is great that Ibrahim launched his initiative at regional level. Overshadowing his effort though, just in his own native country of Sudan, the country is not only ruled by dictator, but the population is dying of war, diseases, and starvation. His reward for the already wealthy head of states, (by the African standard), would have some significant impact on the population that needs the most, had he directed the money to target the needy. The rewarded amount that he is cashing out to the already wealthy retired African head of states would have afforded to build schools and health facilities as well as hire personnel to manage those infrastructures. As one African observer puts it; Mo Ibrahim initiative “doesn’t read Africa’s problems correctly. Those who keep governments accountable are ordinary people and that accountability needs to be strengthened. That’s where he should have put his money. Or into the Parliaments that could hold leaders accountable.” The observer goes on to conclude that the initiative “reaffirms the principle of the big man,” meaning, rich people rewarding themselves with their wealth.
Matter of fact, the richest person in Africa is not a tycoon, but a head of state. Most African head of states are richer than Mo Ibrahim, therefore, making his prize just a peanut for them. President Yuweri Museveni of Uganda pokes fun at Ibrahim initiative deriding that “if you are used to poor leaders, I am not one of them. You better come and visit me. I don’t need money to leave power.” Obviously, African greedy leaders don’t need to be bribed with a peanut for them to transform power democratically if they already do have their ways. President Daniel Arob Moi of Kenya negotiated his retirement package before accepting to leave the office. Today, he lives as a rich old man and the Mo Ibrahim initiative would not have granted him his riches. This is not to mention those African head of states who decides to cling onto power to retain all the wealth the state can get. Such leaders include Teodoro Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea whom his personal wealth is worth in billions. Another one of such leaders is President Muammar Gaddafi of Libya whom the wealth of the country belongs to him and his family members. And the list is endless, including in the native country of Mo Ibrahim, the Sudan—the troubled country which today is the focus of the concerned world.
It is then clear that Ibrahim, for all intents and purposes, is giving the money to the people who already have money and are well-off. According to Ibrahim, the initiative is not about the money itself, it is to tell the other side of African success story, and perhaps stir more debate on democracy and governance in Africa. Nonetheless, telling the other side of African story may neither require dishing lump sums of money to those who already have nor is such initiative is an effective way for change. Changes can occur by empowering those who can challenge the system, the people at the bottom. Barrack Obama would say, “change must start from the bottom up, not top down.” No wonder Obama popularity is surging and African leaders, despite their money, they remain unpopular in their own countries. Perhaps Ibrahim should start investing in African education. That will be where the debates for good governance will originate and the process for wealth generation will take deeper roots.
Steve Paterno is the author of The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure, A Romain Catholic Priest Turned Rebel. He can be reached at [email protected]