Mo’ Money in Africa

Michael Bell, a lifelong Philadelphia resident and special-ed teacher, uses his Summer vacation to travel. Give him a couple of beers and a little downtime and he’ll point to five out of seven continents on a map. He has a story for every one.

“Ah! India! ” he’ll say, laughing. “The people are great but, man! Those mosquitoes!”

He’ll talk about any trip, but Africa doesn’t come up much in conversation. Mike doesn’t hate Africa. He’s been to Egypt twice now, and talks about a Kenyan safari in the future, but tackling the “dark continent” doesn’t keep him up at night.

African billionaire Mo Ibraham thinks of the continent every day, so much so that he made his bank account into a political statement. The former head of Africa’s largest mobile phone company is giving $5 million dollars and and a $200,000 per year, lifetime payout to African leaders. One thing: they have to relinquish power in their respective countries to get the payout.

The Achievement in African Leadership Award, sponsored by Ibrahim’s eponymous foundation, pays more than five times the Nobel Prize. Five million to start and $200,000 a year makes it less likely that African dictators leaders will pull a “Sese-Soko”; drain the treasury and retire to France. The hefty price tag may also inspire troubled leaders like former-revolutionary-turned-alleged-despot Robert Mugabe to revisit his leadership philosophy in the comfort of a well-apportioned apartment in Harare.

Mugabe won’t get it, though. There are eight criteria for the awards including providing citizens with health options — read hospitals — educational support and effective public safety during their administrations. But, at the end of the day, they’ve all got to transfer power to a democratically-elected successor and disappear.

In an interview with Emily Flynn Vencat in this weeks Newsweek, Ibrahim diffused criticisms that the award pays African leaders to reconsider becoming despots to fund their retirement.

“Our guys should have a life after office,” Ibrahim said in the interview. “They should be role models, with the resources to use their experience to help society.”

Former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan has landed on his feet with Ibrahim’s help. He’s chairing the committee that will choose this year’s winner.

No one can really say whether or not $5 million-plus is enough. Between taxes and international aid a despot can lift billions out of a national treasury as Sese-Soko, Kabila and other leaders have done. But, Ibrahim says that he’s trying to promote idealism among young Africans, ostensibly so that they will one day say, “I want to be president.”

He’s got billions behind him and a lot of good will. It’d be a shame to gamble with so little and loose so much.

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