Joaquim Chissano recebeu o maior prémio do mundo (em termos monetários)

Ex-Mozambique president wins African leader award


Haroon Siddique and agencies
Monday October 22, 2007
Guardian Unlimited


The former Mozambique president Joaquim Chissano was today named as the inaugural winner of a multi-million dollar prize for achievement in African leadership.
Mr Chissano, who was the president of Mozambique for 19 years, oversaw a political settlement to the long-running civil war in 1992. He also engineered a move away from Marxism and the introduction of a multi-party constitution.

The ex-leader became the first recipient of the $5m (£2.5m) Mo Ibrahim prize, which will be the largest awarded annually in the world.

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Kofi Annan, the chairman of the award committee, praised Mr Chissano for his achievement in "bringing peace, reconciliation, a stable democracy and economic progress".
The former UN secretary general also commended him for voluntarily stepping down as president in 2004 after his second term in office, rather than running for a third term as he was entitled to do.

One of the criteria for a leader to be eligible for the award is for them to have democratically transferred power to their successor.

Mr Ibrahim, a UK-based mobile phone entrepreneur who was born in Egypt, developed the plan to rate governance in 53 African countries each year.

"I hope it will persuade a new generation of leaders to come forward and use their talents for the good of their countries," Mr Annan said.

All African heads of state who left office over the last three years were eligible for the inaugural award.

The wining leaders will received the money over 10 years when they leave office, plus $200,000 a year for life.

Mr Annan expressed hope that the prize would "make it easier for the winner to carry on using their experience and talent to make a contribution to Africa and the wider world".

-- O antigo Presidente completou hoje mesmo 68 anos