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No Africa leader for Mo Ibrahim Foundation $5m award for 2012
“We wanted to bring the issues of governance and leadership to the center of the table, for the issues to be discussed by African society and African leadership,” Ibrahim said, adding later: “Bad stories make news. That brings an unintended bias in the media coverage, and that is not helpful for the casual listener.”
Many people around the world know about African leaders like Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who has clung to power for more than 30 years, Ibrahim said.
“But nobody knows the good guys. The prize is to bring forward a picture of the good side of Africa,” he said.
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance, released Monday, found that governance in Africa has improved since 2000, especially in the health and gender sectors.
Earlier this month Ibrahim’s foundation said it would give a US$1 million grant to anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa for “speaking truth to power.” When the one-off award was announced, the foundation said Tutu “is and has throughout his life been one of Africa’s great voices for justice, freedom, democracy and responsible, responsive government.”
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press
