President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia has been named the recipient of the $5 million 2014 Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership for raising the standard of living in his country.
President Pohamba, a two-term president whose second tenure expires in a few months is a former rebel and founding member of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), the armed movement that battled South African rule for about a decade befpre gaining independence in 1990.
The Mo Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership is put together by Mo Ibrahim, a British-Sudanese mobile communications entrepreneur and philanthropist who has made billions from investing in Africa.
79-year old Pohamba was named recipient at a ceremony in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital and will receive the $5 million prize over a period of 10 years followed by $200,000 a year for life.
Aicha BahDiallo, amember of the Independent Prize Committee and Minister of Pre-University, Education and Vocational Training from Guinea, said the whole continent should be proud of President Pohamba.
BahDiallo told Thisday: “He met all the criteria for the prize. The judges were impressed. He is a leader. He impacted on education, promoted the health of the people and pushed forward policies that tackled HIV and AIDS. He promoted media freedom and respect for human rights. As a woman, he was a big boost to us because he promoted gender equality.”
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