The BA Hosts the Celebration Honoring the First Mo Ibrahim Prize Winner for Achievement in African Leadership
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Alexandria—
The BA will host on Monday, 26 November 2007, the international ceremony honoring Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique as the first winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The Prize aims to encourage leaders who fully dedicate their tenure of office to surmount the development challenges of their countries, to improve the livelihoods and welfare of their people and consolidate the foundation for sustainable development.
The honorary ceremony will be attended by 400 political leaderships, academia, media men, and civil society representatives, in addition to distinguished international leaderships including Kofi Anan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, and Chair of the Prize Committee; and the renowned Sudanese businessman Mohamed Fathi Ibrahim, the Founder of the Prize. The ceremony will feature the renowned Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour; Malian pop singer and songwriter Salif Keita; Beninese singer and songwriter Angélique Kidjo; and Egyptian singer Mohamed Mounir.
Joaquim Chissano— who chose not to run for a third term in the elections of 2004 in Mozambique, although the constitution would have allowed him to do so— is the first winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership for Chissano's achievements in bringing peace, reconciliation, stable democracy and economic progress to his country and his outstanding contribution leading Mozambique from conflict to peace and democracy.
It is worth mentioning that Dr. Mohamed Fathi Ibrahim launched the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in October 2006 as the largest individual award in the world; it comprises US$5 million over 10 years and US$200,000 annually for life thereafter.
The first winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize was selected by a Prize Committee chaired by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and comprised Martti Ahtisaari, former UN Special Representative for Namibia and former President of Finland; Aïcha Bah Diallo, former Minister of Education in Guinea and Special Adviser to the Director-General of UNESCO; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Minister of Finance and former Minister of External Affairs of Nigeria; 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 Organization of African Unity (and board member of the Foundation).
For more information on Joaquim Chissano, click http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/winner_background.asp