The Mo Ibrahim Index

The Mo Ibrahim index is out. The Ibrahim Index -

• Measures the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by government and nonstate actor
•  Uses indicators across four main categories: Safety and Rule of Law; Participation and Human Rights; Sustainable Economic Opportunity; and Human Development as proxies for the quality of the processes and outcomes of governance
• Mauritius came first. Somalia came last. South Africa, my adopted country, came 5th. My birth country, Zimbabwe came 5^th last.

For the second year now, no African leader has won the Ibrahim Prize which recognizes and celebrates excellence in an Afican leader who has recently left office . The last winner (2008) was Festus Gontebanye Mogae of Botswana, who I had the great honour of knowing and interacting with personally. When asked about this Mo Ibrahim asked a British journalist to name a European leader who deserved such a prize. The journalist has yet to come up with a name. Personally I am rooting for dear Angela, of Germany, when she retires.

However what then follows is - (See - http://www.afrik-news.com/article18350.html)

 "Many people feel that 50 years after most African countries gained their independence not much has really changed and that the continent is still dependent on development aid. What is your opinion on that?

 Mo Ibrahim: I fully agree, I completely agree and that’s why we launched our foundation completely unhappy and unsatisfied with our progress over the past fifty years. We cannot keep blaming the colonial system for our problems today. Our problems today are of our own making. We are the people who are producing these conflicts around the continent, fighting each other, stoking ethnic conflict for cheap political gain and sometimes stealing from our people. We are responsible for that … nobody else. It’s time for us now really to stop blaming other people and be responsible. We are responsible for our success and we are responsible for our failure. It is time for us really to take charge of our destiny."

Now when last have we heard that kind of breathtakingly simple truth from the lips of anyone significant?

Who will join me in voting Mo Ibrahim as being one of the most significant human beings alive to-day?Now here is he rub. South Africa is 5th out of the 53 countries in Africa even though most of its fundamentals such as education, health, security, energy, road safety, and social justice are in a really parlous state. And yet it lies at a seemingly credible 5th place?

It does seem, with respect, that Africa is in a terrible mess ... really terrible! When and how is it going to change? We have had some 50 years of "freedom", and yet our people are worse off than ever?

When and how will it change?

Certainly not as long as leaders consider their loyalties are to each other, and to tyrants, rather than to having a mandate for humanity.