Do African leaders need US$5m as an incentive to govern well?

Editor, RE: “Do African leaders need US$5m as an incentive to govern well?” (The New Times, November 26). I would like to appreciate Dr Mo Ibrahim for his love for Africa. However, the question that we all must be asking is; what does he gain or lose from doing all this? I feel the problem could be in the interpretation; to some, the money that he is offering could seem like a bribe; to others, an incentive; and to someone else, a token of appreciation. I don’t think that leaders like South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Tanzania’s Mwalimu Nyerere, and several others who are actually still alive today, would have been influenced by this money to do things differently. I personally have failed to see how Mo Ibrahim’s ‘offer’ can help build a culture of exemplary leadership in Africa but I can understand his personal dedication towards wanting to financially appreciate those that he thinks have been great leaders. For some time now, Africa has suffered a gross deficit of good leaders but let us not forget that a good leader is not necessarily the one who relinquishes power voluntarily but the one who helps to improve the condition of their nation. Donart ************************ Does Dr Mo Ibrahim love Africa much more than he loves his native country of Sudan? How much money did he ever spend to save Sudanese women from pregnancy-related deaths? How much has he spent on vaccinating Sudanese children to prevent them from dying young? I think this man is simply politicking. He is trying to make a name for himself. People like Bill Gates are spending their money on projects that can have a huge impact on millions of people and at the same time helping countries achieve progress. Ibrahim is spending his on trying to make one person happy per year, while at the same time keeping himself in the limelight. African leaders do not need his incentive (money), they never asked for it and they never went into politics to be rewarded that way. To me, Ibrahim’s so-called incentive is an insult to African leaders. Unfortunately, our former leaders have accepted to be insulted. If I was a former African president, I would prefer to die poor than accept this man’s insulting offer. Kelly ************************ The criterion for awarding the prize combines both exceptional performance and respect of the constitution in place. It is not a bribe, because Mr Ibrahim is not looking to get any personal service from any African president. Those presidents who serve outstandingly will be rewarded not only by their own people, but also by the whole world. Dr Mo Ibrahim was right to try to promote good governance in troubled Africa. Michael Gahindiro ************************ Actually, as President Paul Kagame put it so well, the Mo Ibrahim Prize seems to be less an award for governing well as it is for leaving power. It is also quite demeaning for Mr Ibrahim to believe that our heads of state are so avaricious for his handouts that they would decide whether or not to leave their nations’ highest office just so that they might become eligible to be considered for the award. Mwene Kalinda

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Do African leaders need US$5m as an incentive to govern well?