02 Mar 2020

From the day  the Union Jack was lowered and replaced by Botswana’s blue, black and white tricolor, the world hailed the birth of a new nation that soon became a post-colonial beacon of peace, good leadership and democracy, for countries emerging from the tyranny of colonialism.

Since the post-colonial era, Botswana has had an array of highly-esteemed leaders, who are well-adored, not just by their own people, but by people around the world, who can attest to their tenacity and commitment to transforming the country.

One name that epitomises a transformational leader, who motivated the nation to exceptional accomplishments through charisma, inspiration, individualised attention and intellectual stimulation is none other than Dr Festus Gontebanye Mogae.

In a continent with a club of the longest serving presidents; where politically instigated violence, despotism and corruption feature frequently, Dr Mogae is of a different fabric, as he has been inspirational in a number of Africa’s success stories and his superlative leadership has not gone unnoticed.

The former statesman has countless accolades in his resume, with the most recent being his appointment as chairperson of the Mo Ibrahim prize committee, a position he says he treasures and holds high.

 Dr Mogae revealed in a recent interview that the Mo Ibrahim Foundation came to being in 2006, and has dedicated its cause to appreciating and rewarding African retired presidents who have taken an active role during their terms in office to promote the well-being of their people, embrace democracy and rule of law and transfer power peacefully to their successors.

“I am honoured to accept this role and I look forward to working with my fellow committee members. We have been privileged to be guided in our work by Salim Ahmed Salim and Kofi Annan, who themselves exemplify so many of the qualities that the Ibrahim Prize celebrates,” he said.

Since it was first presented, the award,  he said, has proven to be a tall order for many in a continent where leaders tend to hold on to power through questionable elections and extend their stay through unpopular constitutional amendments. He thus highlighted that the prize has been left with a small pool of possible candidates.

While taking into account the unique challenges facing political leadership in Africa, Dr Mogae indicated that the prize committee has refused to lower the bar and stuck to its mandate of recognising only ‘truly exceptional figures’, skipping awarding the honour in many years.

Working independently of the Foundation, Dr Mogae noted that the Prize Committee reviews all eligible candidates for the Ibrahim Prize, which recognises exceptional political leadership in Africa.

“The bar for the award has been set so high that since it was established some 11 years ago, it has only had four recipients. Still, the foundation maintains that it cannot compromise on the standards it set, because it believes service to the people and respect for the law should never be unwavering, hence as the newly appointed chairperson,” he said.

Dr Mogae explained that the Mo Ibrahim Foundation continues keeping its pulse on African governance, and to complement the prize, it runs the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, a metric that uses over 100 variables to rate governance across African countries, premised on four main categories that include human development, rule of law, participation and human rights and sustainable economic opportunity.

A recipient of the award himself in 2008, Dr Mogae admitted that his reign as the committee chair will be daunting, looking at the current crop of African leaders, highlighting that it would appear that the hunt for the next recipient will be a long one, if recent events on the continent are anything to go by.

“From never ending orgies of violence, to mutating and high levels of corruption, to extending the presidential age limits that allow ageing sitting presidents to hang on to power, chances of a new laureate remain slim,” he said.

 Further, Dr Mogae called for the capacitation of African leaders, saying there should be strong institutions to help leaders drive and accomplish the democratic agenda.

 He said African leaders should take a leaf from yesteryear leaders, who are hailed for impressive democratic and economic growth of their respective countries. ENDS