In a snub to recent ex-presidents and heads of state in Africa, organizers of a multimillion-dollar annual prize for good governance on the continent today said they had decided not to give out the award this year.
The Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership is awarded only to democratically elected heads of state who have left office in the past three years. That requirement limits the pool of contenders, eliminating the continent's strongmen leaders, some of whom have held onto power for decades.
The committee considered �some credible candidates� but could not select a winner, said former Botswana president Ketumile Masire, a board member of the group that awards the prize.
Created in 2007 by Sudan-born billionaire Mo Ibrahim, the prize awards $5 million (U.S.) over 10 years and $200,000 annually for life to encourage leadership that improves the prospects of people in the continent.
Mr. Ibrahim was asked at a news conference today about politicians who meet the award criteria but were not chosen, including former South African president Thabo Mbeki, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo and ex-Ghanaian president John Kufuor.
Mr. Ibrahim, the founder of the African telecommunications company Celtel International, said the foundation had �full respect� for those leaders. It was unclear why the committee, which is independent of the foundation's board, was unable to choose one for the prize.
Mr. Masire said the foundation �noted the progress made with governance in some African countries, while noting with concern recent setbacks in other countries.� Committee members said they could not discuss their deliberations.
The move surprised some experts, who say the award should be used as an encouragement to good governance.
�The way I see it is, it is like the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Obama,� said Siphamandla Zondi, head of the Africa program at the Institute for Global Dialogue in South Africa. �It is not necessarily meant to make a definitive statement about accomplishments. It should be use to encourage positive tendencies.�
Trying to find the perfect recipient would mean that the award is rarely handed out, said Stephen Chan, a professor of international relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. �I would imagine that they are thinking about raising the bar and having raised the bar they have found that no one could get over the bar,� he said. �No one expects African governance to be perfect at this time.�
Others saw it as a wake-up call.
�We're seeing in places from Senegal to Libya attempts to pass power from father to son, and it's been a year of coups in places like Madagascar and Mauritania and Guinea,� said Reed Brody, a Brussels-based legal counsellor for Human Rights Watch. �It hasn't been a great year for democracy in Africa. Maybe that's what they were trying to say.�
Mr. Zondi said the prize has a certain amount of status in Africa, but it is in danger of not being taken seriously if it is not awarded.
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