- What is the Mo Ibrahim Foundation?
- Who is Dr Mo Ibrahim?
- How will the Foundation promote good governance in Africa?
- How is the Foundation run?
- Who sits on the Board of the Foundation?
- How is the Foundation funded?
- What is the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership?
- Who is eligible to win the Mo Ibrahim Prize?
- How will winners of the Mo Ibrahim Prize be selected?
- Are there any controls over how the money is spent?
- How will the $200,000 annual grant work be administered?
- Who sits on the Prize Committee?
- Is there only one Prize winner each year?
- What is the Ibrahim Index of African Governance?
- Why has the Ibrahim Index for African Governance been developed?
- How does the Index work?
- Who is Professor Robert Rotberg?
What is the Mo Ibrahim Foundation?
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has been established to promote African development, with a special focus on promoting good governance in sub-Saharan Africa.
Who is Dr Mo Ibrahim?
Dr Mo Ibrahim is one of Africa's most successful business leaders. Born in Sudan in 1946, Dr Ibrahim is the founder of Celtel International, a mobile telephone company with operations across sub-Saharan Africa.
How will the Foundation promote good governance in Africa?
The Foundation has established two major initiatives in support of better governance in sub-Saharan Africa. The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, awarded annually, recognises a former executive Head of State or Government who has demonstrated exemplary leadership. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance is a comprehensive ranking of sub-Saharan African countries according to governance quality.
How is the Foundation run?
The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees, all of whom are committed to championing the cause of good governance in Africa. The day-to-day running of the Foundation is undertaken by a small secretariat that is based in UK and supported by staff in the USA and Africa.
Who sits on the Board of the Foundation?
In addition to Dr Mo Ibrahim, the Board is comprised of: Lalla Ben Barka (Director, Regional UNESCO Bureau for Education); Lord Cairns (Chairman, Charities Aid Foundation); Dr Mamphela Ramphele (former Managing Director, World Bank); Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights); Salim Ahmed Salim (former Secretary-General, Organisation of African Unity) and Nicholas Ulanov (Managing Director, The Ulanov Partnership).
How is the Foundation funded?
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is funded exclusively by Dr Mo Ibrahim.
What is the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership?
The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, the world's biggest prize, attracts an award of US$ 500,000 per annum for a period of ten years, and US$ 200,000 annually thereafter. An optional facility of up to US$ 200,000 annually, to support suitable post-office initiatives and activities by the winner, may be offered at the Foundation's discretion.
Who is eligible to win the Mo Ibrahim Prize?
The Prize is awarded on an annual basis to a former executive Head of State or Government in sub-Saharan Africa. Eligible candidates will have taken office through proper elections and left having served the constitutional term stipulated when taking office.
How will winners of the Mo Ibrahim Prize be selected?
The winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize is selected by a Prize Committee on the basis of his/her performance relative to his/her peers in all sub-Saharan countries. The Prize Committee will be guided in their selection of a winner by the Ibrahim Index for African Governance, a comprehensive ranking of sub-Saharan African countries according to governance quality.
The Foundation does not seek to influence the winner in how he or she chooses to use the Prize.
How will the $200,000 annual grant work be administered?
The further optional facility of up to $200,000 per annum is awarded by the Foundation on a case-by-case basis. It is intended to support the winners in suitable post-office initiatives and activities in keeping with their roles as ambassadors for good governance.
Who sits on the Prize Committee?
The Prize Committee is comprised of eminent individuals with expert knowledge of Africa and a commitment to supporting the continent's development. They are Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General, United Nations (Chair); Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and former UN special envoy to Kosovo; Aicha Bah Diallo, former Minister of Education in Guinea and Director of Basic Education at UNESCO; Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (and Board member of the Foundation):Salim Ahmed Salim, former Prime Minister of Tanzania and former Secretary-General of the Organisation for African Unity (and Board member of the Foundation).
Is there only one Prize winner each year?
There will be a maximum of one Prize winner each year.
What is the Ibrahim Index of African Governance?
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance is a new, comprehensive ranking of sub-Saharan African nations according to governance quality. It has been developed under the direction of Professor Robert Rotberg of the Kennedy School of Government at HarvardUniversity.
Why has the Ibrahim Index for African Governance been developed?
The Ibrahim Index has been developed in recognition of the need for a more comprehensive, objective and quantifiable method of measuring governance quality in sub-Saharan Africa. No such ranking currently exists. It is hoped that its publication will lead to an improvement in the way in which the citizens of sub-Saharan African countries are governed, while stimulating debate across societies about the criteria by which good governance should best be assessed.
How does the Index work?
The Ibrahim Index assess national progress in the following five areas, which together constitute a holistic definition of good governance: sustainable economic development; human development (health and education); transparency and empowerment of civil society; democracy and human right; rule of law and security.
Who is Professor Robert Rotberg?
Professor Robert Rotberg is Director of the Program on Intrastate Conflict at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and a world-recognised authority on good governance. For the past five years, Professor Rotberg has been developing an index to rank the countries of sub-Saharan Africa according to the quality of their governance.