PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Nigeria hosts Mo Foundation’s parley on good governance in Africa
Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The London-based Mo Ibrahim Foundation has concluded arrangements to hold a discussion programme on the role of the civil society in governance across Africa.
The programme will be held on 21 January in the Nigerian capital city, Abuja, according to the foundation.
Founder and chairman of the foundation, Sudanese-born telecommunication billionaire business tycoon, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, will host the discussion, which is expected to attract civil society groups from Nigeria and across Africa, as well as media chief executives.
Other members of the foundation, which was established in 2006 with the aim of supporting good governance in Africa, Sir Ketumile Masire, former president of Botswana, Salim Ahmed Salim, former secretary-general, Organization of African Unity (OAU), now African Union and Lord Cairns, former chairman, Actis Capital LLP, will attend the event.
Others include Nathalie Delapalme, Director of Research and Policy, Mo Ibrahim Foundation's
Hadeel Ibrahim, Director of Strategy and External Relations, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mamphela Ramphele, former managing director of the World Bank.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is an African initiative that has been established to: stimulate debate on good governance across sub-Saharan Africa and the world. It also provides criteria by which citizens can hold their governments to account.
Other goals include: recognize achievement in African leadership and provide a practical way in which African leaders can build positive legacies on the continent when they have left office and support aspiring leaders for the continent.
The Ibrahim Index and the Ibrahim Prize, given to an outstanding African leaders, are two of the prominent ways it contribute to good governance. The Index measures the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by government and non state actors.
It uses indicators across four main categories: safety and rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity, and human development as proxies for the quality of the processes and outcomes of governance.
As the most comprehensive collection of qualitative and quantitative data that assess governance in Africa, it has the aim of becoming Africa’s leading assessment of governance that is a tool for citizens, public authorities and partners to access progress.
On the other hand, according to the organization’s website, the Ibrahim Prize recognizes and celebrates excellence in African leadership. The prize is awarded to a democratically elected former African executive head of state or government who has served their term in office within the limits set by the country's constitution and has left office in the last three years.
The Ibrahim Prize consists of US$ 5 million over ten years and US$ 200,000 annually for life thereafter. It is the largest annually awarded prize in the world.
The foundation will consider granting a further US$ 200,000 per year, for ten years, towards public interest activities and good causes espoused by the winner.
The winner of the Ibrahim Prize is selected by an independent Prize Committee, appointed by the foundation board, which assesses every eligible sub-Saharan African leader on their exercise of leadership and the performance of their country during their time in office.
In 2007, the former Mozambique President, Joaquim Alberto Chissano made history as the first former ruler to have won the Ibrahim Prize leader, while in 2008, former Botswana President, Festus Mogae became the second winner of the Ibrahim leadership prize.
However, the 2010 and 2009 editions did not produce any winner.
-0- PANA SB/BOS 19Jan2011
The programme will be held on 21 January in the Nigerian capital city, Abuja, according to the foundation.
Founder and chairman of the foundation, Sudanese-born telecommunication billionaire business tycoon, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, will host the discussion, which is expected to attract civil society groups from Nigeria and across Africa, as well as media chief executives.
Other members of the foundation, which was established in 2006 with the aim of supporting good governance in Africa, Sir Ketumile Masire, former president of Botswana, Salim Ahmed Salim, former secretary-general, Organization of African Unity (OAU), now African Union and Lord Cairns, former chairman, Actis Capital LLP, will attend the event.
Others include Nathalie Delapalme, Director of Research and Policy, Mo Ibrahim Foundation's
Hadeel Ibrahim, Director of Strategy and External Relations, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mamphela Ramphele, former managing director of the World Bank.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is an African initiative that has been established to: stimulate debate on good governance across sub-Saharan Africa and the world. It also provides criteria by which citizens can hold their governments to account.
Other goals include: recognize achievement in African leadership and provide a practical way in which African leaders can build positive legacies on the continent when they have left office and support aspiring leaders for the continent.
The Ibrahim Index and the Ibrahim Prize, given to an outstanding African leaders, are two of the prominent ways it contribute to good governance. The Index measures the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by government and non state actors.
It uses indicators across four main categories: safety and rule of law, participation and human rights, sustainable economic opportunity, and human development as proxies for the quality of the processes and outcomes of governance.
As the most comprehensive collection of qualitative and quantitative data that assess governance in Africa, it has the aim of becoming Africa’s leading assessment of governance that is a tool for citizens, public authorities and partners to access progress.
On the other hand, according to the organization’s website, the Ibrahim Prize recognizes and celebrates excellence in African leadership. The prize is awarded to a democratically elected former African executive head of state or government who has served their term in office within the limits set by the country's constitution and has left office in the last three years.
The Ibrahim Prize consists of US$ 5 million over ten years and US$ 200,000 annually for life thereafter. It is the largest annually awarded prize in the world.
The foundation will consider granting a further US$ 200,000 per year, for ten years, towards public interest activities and good causes espoused by the winner.
The winner of the Ibrahim Prize is selected by an independent Prize Committee, appointed by the foundation board, which assesses every eligible sub-Saharan African leader on their exercise of leadership and the performance of their country during their time in office.
In 2007, the former Mozambique President, Joaquim Alberto Chissano made history as the first former ruler to have won the Ibrahim Prize leader, while in 2008, former Botswana President, Festus Mogae became the second winner of the Ibrahim leadership prize.
However, the 2010 and 2009 editions did not produce any winner.
-0- PANA SB/BOS 19Jan2011
