- Title: UK: Botswana former President Festus Mogae wins African leadership prize
- Date: 23rd October 2008
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "By recognizing the achievement and telling Africa's story, I think the Foundation is making a unique contribution, a valuable contribution, to the development of our continent. It therefore gives me great pleasure to announce the 2008 Ibrahim laureate. I'm delighted to announce that the winner is Festus Gontebanye Mogae." AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "The prize committee found a number of compelling reasons for selecting Mr Mogae as this year's Ibrahim laureate." WIDE ANNAN SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "President Mogae's outstanding leadership has ensured Botswana's continued stability and prosperity in the face of an HIV/AIDS pandemic which threatened the future of his country and people." CAMERAS ANNAN WALKING OFF (SOUNDBITE) (English) FESTUS MOGAE, FORMER PRESIDENT OF BOTSWANA, SAYING: "The way I look at what's happening in Kenya and Zimbabwe, I think it was a triumph for African democracy on two accounts for a number of millions of people who queued from the early morning to vote. That's Africa people believing in democracy. Secondly, nobody was able to steal a election." MOGAE WALKING AWAY
- Embargoed: 7th November 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAV15F20VV805AUAFJIJC2MXZ1
- Story Text: Botswana's former President Festus Mogae won the 5-million dollar Mo Ibrahim Prize for African leadership on Monday (October 20) for ensuring "stability and prosperity" in his country.
The winner of the world's largest individual award was announced by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan at London's City Hall.
The prize is awarded to a democratically elected former head of state or government from a sub-Saharan African country who served his constitutional term and left office in the past three years.
Mogae handed over power earlier this year in a smooth transition after nearly a decade in power.
"President Mogae's outstanding leadership has ensured Botswana's continued stability and prosperity in the face of an HIV/AIDS pandemic which threatened the future of his country and people," Annan said.
Botswana is a rare political and economic success story on the world's poorest and most unstable continent.
The country of nearly two million is the world's biggest diamond producer.
"Botswana demonstrates how a country with natural resources can promote sustainable development with good governance, in a continent where too often mineral wealth has become a curse," Annan added.
The winner is chosen by a prize committee of six, chaired by Annan and including fellow Nobel peace laureates Martti Ahtisaari, a former president of Finland, and Mohamed ElBaradei, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The prize was awarded for the first time last year when it went to Mozambique's former President Joaquim Chissano, who stood aside after leading his country to peace and democracy after years of civil war.
Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-born telecommunications entrepreneur, established the prize as a way of encouraging good governance in a continent blighted by corruption and a frequently loose adherence to democratic principles. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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