Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba wins Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership 2014

Hifikepunye Pohamba, outgoing Namibian President has won the world’s most valuable individual award- Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership for year 2014.

About Hifikepunye Pohamba

• Pohamba was born in 1935 in Namibia and was a former rebel who fought for his country’s independence.
• He has served as Namibian President two terms. For first time he was elected in 2004 and again in 2009.
• Now, he is due to be succeeded by elected President Hage Geingob.

About Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership

• This prize is given each year to an elected leader who has governed well, raised living standards and then left office.
• It is named after Mo Ibrahim, a British-Sudanese mobile communications entrepreneur and philanthropist who had made billions of fortune from investing in Africa.
• Mo Ibrahim had launched this prize in 2007 to encourage African leaders to leave power peacefully.
• It is the world’s most valuable individual award and carries monetary award of 5 million dollar and also $ 200,000 a year for life.
• The inaugural prize was awarded to Joaquim Chissano, former president of Mozambique.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2015